Riding the Rails in Northern Arizona

A train ride to Arizona.  That's what we needed to combat the winter doldrums.  And why just one train ride?  Why not two?  We contacted family members who are also train buffs and made our travel plans.

We would take Amtrak from El Paso, Texas to Maricopa, Arizona, spend the night at Harrahs Ak-Chin Resort,  rent a car, drive to Cottonwood in Northern Arizona by way of Prescott and Jerome, spend two nights in Cottonwood in order to ride an excursion train, return to Phoenix and fly home, all in four days.  It turned out to be a memorable trip.

As we waited for the westbound Sunset Limited Amtrak (late!) at the Union Depot in El Paso, I had time to soak up the atmosphere of a vintage train station. The depot was quiet on this Tuesday afternoon, but I could imagine the hustle and bustle of an earlier era.

Union Depot, El Paso, Texas

Union Depot is an official state historical site.

Mural in Union Depot depicting history of transportation

Once aboard Amtrak, I settled into that dreamlike trance that riding a train induces in me, and about eight hours later, we were in the land of the saguaro cacti.

Saguaro cacti in front of Harrahs Ak-chin Resort

The saguaro cactus is native to the Sonoran desert.  It is impressive because it is so huge, both in height and width.  Birds make nests for their young in holes in the saguaro.  It flowers in April and produces an edible fruit in late June.  I would love to return to Arizona in the spring to see the saguaros blooming.

Our destination in Northern Arizona

The next phase of the journey was a pleasant drive north to Prescott, Arizona for lunch.  Prescott has a thriving historical district.  The city has 809 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.  I would have enjoyed staying in Prescott for a day or two to tour some Victorian homes.  Sounds like another trip to Arizona is on my travel list! 

Our next stop was an old mining town, Jerome.  It had been rescued from ghost town status by becoming a tourist destination.  Why is it I can't ever pass up those fudge stores in tourist towns? (The toffee fudge was scrumptious.)

Downtown Jerome AZ

A leisurely drive through some beautiful hills, and we had arrived at the Tavern Hotel in Old Cottonwood, our destination for the next two nights.

Tavern Hotel, Cottonwood AZ

To be continued next week. I took lots of pictures of the ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad on my new iPhone s!