A very long and pretty amazing day.

The overnight train was fun, but not that much sleep was had. We were awake at 4:30am so we could depart at our brief stop. Boy was it a shock to step out of the train, I'd say the temp was around -10. We were concerned about the 4 hour wait for the train to the canyon, but the railway hotel lobby was lovely. Big comfy leather couches, a big open fire and a well stocked breakfast cafe. Jack fell asleep, while the rest of us dozed or read. Williams where we stopped is where they filmed the Polar Express Christmas movie. It's a big thing and they have polar express evening train rides through the Christmas season. Anyway we were on board the train and off to the Grand Canyon at 10am. The ride was lots of fun, with music entertainment and our own carriage tour guide. We arrived in time for lunch and spent the afternoon walking around the rim of the canyon and going 'wow' many times as we peered over the edge. Got into our room as the sun went down, we are staying on the edge of the canyon with a great view. Tonight a storm is due to arrive and there is a 100% chance of snow tomorrow, apparently something that doesn't happen here very often. We are due to train out tomorrow afternoon, next stop Flagstaff, just an overnighter on our way to Santa Fe, no big New Years celebrations planned as we have to catch the train at 5:40am on New Year's Day!