Now we know why they call it the Valley of the Sun. The 85 degrees of the Grand Canyon seemed downright cool next to the 110 degrees we experienced today. The heat doesn’t seem to bother the locals, however.

Our only plans for today involved the Phoenix Zoo, which we departed to around 8:30am. The zoo is incredible … full of wandering trails (easy to forget where you’ve been and where you haven’t, though), great exhibits, and natural wildlife (butterflies, hummingbirds, ground squirrels, lizards, etc.). We managed to see almost everything in the three hours we were there, but eventually the extreme heat forced us to find a more favorable clime …

… the outlet mall, where else? Guided by Terri’s “mall radar” (and the Arizona Guidebook) we made our way to a newer indoor outlet mall a few miles from the zoo. We wandered around in air conditioned comfort for a while before heading back to the hotel.

Vacation is best when you don’t have a schedule, and today proved to be one of those days. An afternoon nap and a load of laundry, we went to dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant in Scottsdale (with excellent tiramisu) and then turned in for the night.

Today we had all to ourselves. It started with an early breakfast at the Maswik Lodge cafeteria. We then checked out of the Lodge and headed back to the Canyon’s rim.

We ended up walking most of the Southern Rim Trail, from the Kolb Studio all the way to the Yavpai Observation Station … with stops at the Visitor’s Center, general store, and other sites along the way. A grand total of maybe 4 miles. Doesn’t sound like much, but in 85+ degree weather at 7,000+ feet elevation, it was quite a workout.

We grabbed some sandwiches at the general store and caught a shuttle bus to the Western Rim Trail. We found a scenic spot to have a brief picnic lunch, followed by some more hiking on the rim trails.

Eventually, at 3:00pm, we headed back to the train station to catch the train back to Williams. This time we were in Observation Class, a glass-domed second level of one of the first-class cars. Quite a view. On the way back to Williams the train was stopped and boarded by outlaw cowboys who tried to rob most of the passengers. Thank goodness for the marshal and his men who rounded the scoundrels up and saved us all.

Returning to Williams, we grabbed our luggage from the train, threw it back into the Explorer waiting for us in the parking lot, and hit the highway for Phoenix.

The drive continued to be stunning as we drove through the mountains, descending over 5,000 feet in a little over an hour and a half. Pausing briefly at a rest stop to watch the sun set behind the mountains, we pushed on and arrived at our hotel in Phoenix a little past 9:00pm.

Tomorrow, Phoenix.

The day started early with breakfast over at Max and Thelma’s. At 9:30am, we boarded the Grand Canyon Railway, powered by an authentic steam engine

The two hour and fifteen minute trip from Williams to the Grand Canyon National Park was entertaining. We sat in “Parlor Class” which was the last car of the train. It had several large, antique chairs and tables to sit around, and a bar. We were able to go out on the end balcony to watch the rails go by. Cowboys would stroll through every now and then to sing songs, or intimidate other passengers.

After arriving at the Canyon, we hurried over to the Bright Angel Lodge to catch our bus tour. By 1:00pm we were on a bus with a bunch of other tourists on the Desert View tour. Our tour guide, Bob, was a colorful fellow from Texas who was full of Grand Canyon factoids, history, and bad jokes. We stopped at many scenic places during the four hour tour, and spent more time off of the bus than on it.

After the tour we checked into our room at the Maswik Lodge, where our luggage was waiting. We had dinner at the cafeteria in the Lodge and then headed back out to the Canyon for the sunset.

Tomorrow will be more hiking and scenic views.