Wed. 3/3/2010- Verde Canyon Railroad

Our reservations were made so all we had to do was pick them up, which we did at 10:30 a.m. They told us to go have some lunch at the Tavern Grill back in town and be back by 12:45 to board the 1 p.m. 4 hour ride.

So we opened the place at 11 a.m...by 11:30 there wasn't a seat to be had and the line was starting.....

The 4 of us had such a good lunch there we decided we could come here another time:) We would highly recommend The Tavern Grill to anyone.

If you come to Cottonwood, please do take the time to do the train....and go first class because you have much better accomodations: champagne and a buffet lunch.. IF we had known about the buffet, we would have skipped the lunch at the Tavern.. We were so full after the ride, none of us ate any dinner.

We were to board the Scottsdale car ..Karen took our photo and we took theirs' with the moutains and clouds in the background.

As we entered the car, this was the buffet we saw...

This is Jolynn, our attentant for the afternoon.. She was our waitress and knew everything anyone wanted to know about the 4 hour tour. She pointed out anything that was of importance. Her personality and smile was contagious.

You can't see them, but there were two otters down in the water.

And an eagle was spotted too.

Then the train went into the 700 ft. tunnel.

The train: Two FP7 locomotives, only two of 12 remaining in North America, are thee muscle that pulls the renovated passenger cars. All cars access open-air cars for 360 degrees of spectacular photo opportnities and narration which makes the train experience unlike any other. Acclaimed as AZ longest running nature show ..

The route is from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back. The population of Perkinsville is 9, all in one family.

On one side of the train the landscape is almost vertical and the other side looks down to the river and valley below.

Once the engine unhooks and runs along side the cars to rehook at the back of the train to take us back up out of the canyon....everyone is ready to sit back and enjoy the ride back to the station.

Don't we look comfy? This is a must do!!!