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Trip Reports by our Clients:
Amtrak and the Grand Canyon Railway
Ted and Sylvia,
Our entire trip was indeed wonderful and did exceed our expectations. All of the AMTRAK reservations you made for us were right on the money. It was great to be greeted by name by the AMTRAK sleeping car stewards when we boarded the train. Evidence of your expertise was apparent in the choice of sleeping car rooms on different segments of our train trip. The train trip from Denver on over the Rockies was alone worth the whole trip (we took over 100 photos on this segment). Even the side trip to Grand Canyon worked out well despite having to arrive and leave Williams, AZ in the middle of the night (getting off the Southwest Chief at Williams Junction in the dark to board an SUV for the ride to Williams was a surprise!!). (See PS by Ted Blishak below.)
But one of our favorite experiences on this trip took place on the return trip from Grand Canyon on the GCRY. You booked the parlor car for us on the way back to Williams and we had a wonderful time riding outside on the platform at the rear of the car.
We also enjoyed the Tauck Tour of California even though it was cold and windy in San Francisco and some other spots along the way (we are Florida Snowbirds and not used to cold weather anymore). Our Tauck director-guide, Larry Newsome did a really great job and the choice of hotels was very good. We were uncomfortable at times on the bus when it was near a cliff-side (at Yosemite and the Big Sur) but we got through it and our bus driver Aaron put us at ease.
Thanks again for your help. We definitely will do another AMTRAK or VIA RAIL trip at some point. You can be sure we will make future rail travel arrangements through you. During our trip we shared your name with some folks named Toni and Steven -- ? who said they live in Oregon and are rail enthusiasts.
Ray & Wendy Hollworth
June 16, 2007
PS from Ted Blishak. I should prepare future travelers with more details about this transfer at Williams Junction. We saw this bus stop for the first time on our May trip, it is really out in the middle of nowhere. Curiously enough, the old Santa Fe line, which is heavily used by BNSF freight trains, but does not carry Amtrak, runs directly past the Grand Canyon Railway Depot and restaurant in Williams. In fact, the GCRY Depot at one time was the Santa Fe Depot at Williams. Amtrak trains are routed on a new line which bypasses Williams, thus the bus transfer at Williams Junction.
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