Countdown!

Yesterday I wasted many hours googling videos and Internet articles about Amtrak travel (have I mentioned before this is our first trip by rail?), hoping to prepare myself for our journey to the Grand Canyon which begins tomorrow night.  For the most part, this will be a journey without Internet.  From what I understand, there are few chances to connect to the WWW on the trip or at the Grand Canyon itself.  I believe there is Wifi at the hotel in Williams, Arizona, but we really won't be spending that much time there.  

Believe it or not, I'm happy about that.  I don't have a lot of discipline when it comes to regulating my time on the Internet, so it's good to have it forced on me once in a while.  I have loaded some ebooks onto the Kindles so we'll have something to read, but as distracted as I am, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my mind on a book.  However, it will be a twenty-four-hour trip one way, so who knows?   

Ever since we booked this trip, I've focused far too much on the length of the journey, feeling I should have spent another wad of money to extend our actual time in the Grand Canyon itself.  Yesterday I took my time, read the detailed itinerary, and realized we really will have quite a bit of time there:  We arrive at the rim at 11:45 Sunday morning aboard the train, and don't leave until 3:30 P.M. on Monday.  That's really a big chunk of time, and time spent Monday is our own, to do as we please!  Our motel is right on the rim.  We'll be eating when we arrive on Sunday, then doing a motorcoach tour that lasts two-and-a-half hours.  The rest of that day and most of the next is ours.  

I was concerned that my aching knees would limit how far I could go in our exploration of the canyon until I read about the free shuttle busses that run every fifteen minutes.  We can get off at any stop, enjoy the scenery, and get on the next bus that comes along whenever we're ready.  I wish we had done this while we could both still hike, but it's no use crying over last year's crop.       

I'm so excited about this whole thing, it's hard to refrain from putting several exclamation marks at the end of every sentence!!!  

Look at the weather Sunday and Monday!  I've been checking this several times daily for the last week, praying, "please God please God please God let the sun at least be shining at sunset and sunrise," and so far it looks promising for the time we are there.  We'll need a coat or jacket.  I'm fine with that.  I wish I had a proper light jacket that wasn't so bulky and was fit for going out in public, but the winter coat will have to do.

I could go on, but you get the idea.  Cliff has heard me talking about nothing but this trip for the past twenty-four hours.  He can't surf the Internet in peace because I sit down beside him every time he starts up his computer and make him watch videos of the train and Grand Canyon.  I have searched reviews for the best places to eat on the south rim... the only meals we'll have that aren't already paid for are the evening meal on Sunday and breakfast and lunch Monday.

My suitcase is packed.  I can't wait!