We've booked a trip

Next year we will have been married fifty years.  I figure that's as good an excuse as any to blow a wad of cash on a vacation.

I've wanted to see the Grand Canyon for years.  Cliff and a couple of my cousins once rode motorcycles out there, but I was left at home with my babies.  We've made partial plans to travel by automobile in the past and then cancelled.  That's a long way, and Cliff is stuck with all the driving.  He was never crazy about driving, and these days between his back and a pesky sciatic nerve that kicks in when he drives over forty-five minutes, it's really painful for him.  

Another factor causing me to spend big bucks on travel is that we are lousy vacation planners:  Not so long ago we went to Canada and really missed out on all the good stuff because we ended up wandering around like the three blind mice.  Turn us loose in Colorado and we're fine, but don't let us get out on uncharted territory.  

I have an Internet friend who travels on trains a lot, and he gave me a few tips once I started planning this adventure.  For instance, the ride from Kansas City to Williams, Arizona, lasts over twenty-four hours.  I asked him how comfortable those seats were, and he advised that for such a long trip we should probably get a cabinette, which is equipped with seats that become a bed, while overhead a bed pulls down from the wall when you're ready for sleep.  In other words, bunk beds.  I'm sure laying down for sleep will be much better than sitting in a seat for 25 hours.  There's no bathroom in the cabinette, unfortunately, and who knows how many times I'll be up during the night walking to the shared bathroom.  Oh well, I will try to restrict my fluids in the evenings when we're aboard the train.  Oh, another perk that comes with the cabinettes is that our meals are included.  

We will spend two nights in Williams and one night at the Thunderbird Motel, right on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  We will be on trains a lot, because it's going to be another train that takes us to and from the canyon.  It'll be my first real journey on a train!  

Good Lord willing, this is a done deal.  Payment has been made.  We can cancel for any reason, but only an emergency would make us cancel.

Wish us luck.