June 26, 2006

Hi Folks! Chris here and reporting on another fun and interesting day in the life of the Western Ramblers. We started with breakfast buffet at the Maswik Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park. Good food for all! We decided to take the shuttle to the east route of the Southern Rim, the Kaibab Trail. Because of the fires on the northern rim, the canyon was still hazy today, but a ranger told us to go to the east route and it wouldn’t be as hazy. He was right and we got to see some more beautiful sights. We even hiked along the rim despite being a bit weary and not particularly in a hiking mood. I think we were all glad we did because it was a nice walk. We then had lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant, and it too was delicious. Much better food here than at Yellowstone or Grand Teton. We boarded our train back to Williams and believe it or not, about ½ hour before we got to Williams, we were robbed!! Masked bandits appeared on horses, stopped the train, got on and we had to give up all our worldly possessions. They even had guns!! Good thing the Marshall was also on board, and it wasn’t too long before he was on their trail. Quite a traumatic time for all the passengers. We checked into our new room and had another nice meal, and then Jim and I headed to a Laundromat to do another few loads of laundry, while the kids watched Back to the Future. We are ready for another traveling day tomorrow and starting to think about being home this weekend. I think we are all looking forward to being home again. We all got a little homesick after we called and sang to Maggie for her birthday. It’s nice to have family to miss. Good night John Boy!