The Verde Canyon Railroad is a 20-mile, 4-hour journey through 100 years of history. This rail line meanders through the high desert from Clarkdale, AZ to Perkinsville, AZ. The track was laid in 1912 in order to link the copper smelter at Clarkdale with the copper mines at Jerome.
We had some time before our tour, so we checked out Clarkdale’s main street. This former mining town is now more of a small retirement town (population approx 4,000) and an art community. Clarkdale has a boutique feel to it with antique shops, craft stores, restaurants and old bars lining the main street. It was a perfect place to spend a couple of hours before our tour.
Outside the train station, there were bird handlers who provided some great information about the birds native to the area.
We booked a first class car for our tour, as we wanted more comfortable seats than what were available in coach class. There was also a caboose car option at a higher price still, but we were pleased with the tier we chose. For our tour price of $89.99 USD per adult, we were greeted with a champagne toast at departure, were treated to a variety of complimentary appetizers, and had access to a full service cash bar. Our sofa seats were comfortable in the fully restored vintage train and we had access to a shaded, open-air viewing car.
There are two trains in service for this excursion. They are pulled by FP7 Locomotives (2/10 remaining in all of North America). Along the journey, over the speaker system, there is music interspersed with educational narration about the area, the habitat, and what to expect to see next. Everything can be heard on the open air viewing car, as well as inside the climate-controlled coaches.
The air is fresh and crisp and the high desert scenery is second to none.
For more information and history about the Verde Canyon RR, visit:
https://verdecanyonrr.com/about-us/
The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see. Albert Einstein
A few days ago, I was again experiencing some angst about the direction of my blog. I even wrote a quick post thinking that by explaining what I was feeling, I’d find a new direction. I re-read the post the next day and decided it hadn’t been a useful post, and hadn’t helped me arrive at a solution, so I deleted it. I’ve since decided to carry on for now, as I have been – and perhaps one day, I’ll just naturally veer in the direction this is intended to go. Do any of you ever post something only to think better of it later, and then delete it?
Radically Retired 