The Verde Valley Railway excursion is a great way to see a variety of what Arizona has to offer. Arizona's desert is only a portion of the state. Yesterday's trip showed us juniper forest and colorful canyons. The colors of the rock formations vary from browns and blacks to brilliant reds and vermilions. In many places the route parallels the Verde River and various creeks. The many mesquite trees were still winter bare, but the sycamores and cottonwoods were leafing out and showing pale greens.
The tracks run along the side of the Valley, offtimes only inches from the canyon wall. A pair of Bald Eagles have nested and raised babies near enough the track to see the nest from the train. One of the pair was circling in the air - hunting according to the staff - and we could see the white head of the other sitting in the nest as we went by.
There was a hosted buffet at the end of the car with chicken wings, a veggie plate, sandwiches, olives and gjerkins along with coffee and bottles of water. There were also no-host bar drinks available and our attendant bragged about his killer Bloody Mary's and margaritas. They had soft drinks, wine and smoothies. It made for a very enjoyable trip.
There was No Smoking on the train, but when we stopped in Fredericksburg for the engines to swap ends to make the return trip, they brought buckets of sand to the open cars. People were told they could go smoke, but all ash and butts HAD to go into the buckets! Pleasantly enough, not too many people took them up on the offer.
Most people rotated between the cozy armchairs and the open cars, watching the scenery. I only heard one woman complaining that the scenery was "boring" and she slept all the way back!
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