Verde Canyon Railroad-March 15th

After an interesting night at the hotel, we headed into Clarkdale. The town is at the bottom of the mountain and a quick 20 minute drive. The train station was already very busy as I found out that this was peak season. The ride would last 4 hours. The train would travel 2 hours through the canyon to Perkinsville and then the engines would be moved to the caboose of the train and then take everyone back through the canyon to the station. In between each car was an open-air observation car where you could go outside and take pictures while on the train. Each car also had a snack bar where you could buy candy, chips, soda and cookies. The person that sold the goodies also pointed out various bits of history and wildlife info.
In the beginning, my mom and I went outside and took some pictures of the area as well as some of the train.
You can't really tell in this picture but the water is green.







As warm and toasty it looks, it was not! We only could stay outside for a little while as it was getting too cold for us. But we were able to spot a Bald Eagle! Sorry no picture of that. :(




Various music was played during the ride that was soothing and soft. When we arrived in Perkinsville, we had to wait about 15 minutes for them to switch the engine over. In the meantime, they sold ice cream bars. Yum! So, for the next 2 hours, we settled in our seats and maybe a couple of us took a little nap. :)
It was decided when we returned to the station that instead of coming back down the I-17, we would go through Payson. It was such a beautiful ride! There was still snow in some parts of the mountains and hardly any traffic. We stopped in Payson and had some Mexican food for dinner before ending our trip. Despite how short the trip was, we were able to experience things we never had before right here in our own backyard.