Here at Williams, we climbed aboard the Grand Canyon Railway's Williams Flyer--an authentic steam train--for a peaceful (well, mostly), leisurely ride directly to the South Rim of the canyon. This is, after all, the historic way to reach the park--the way visitors came regularly before cars, highways and the interstate.

We arrived in Williams the afternoon before our ride. Before interstate highways, U.S. Highway 66 was the main road from Chicago to Los Angeles, and it came right through downtown Williams. The legendary Route 66 is still here, but busy Interstate Highway 40, on the edge of town, has virtually replaced it. Before Route 66 was even thought of, Williams was located on the original main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Time hasn't changed downtown Williams much. It still looks much like a little town along old Route 66. Railroad Avenue parallels the track on the south, and one more block takes you to Main.

The night before our trip, at the Fray Marcos Hotel, we attended a "Fireside Chat" given by Todd Nemura, a conductor on the Grand Canyon Railway and a volunteer with the Grand Canyon Field Institute. Todd smoothly and expertly introduced us to the history and geology of both the canyon and the railroad. He also answered our questions about practical matters of what to see and how to get around. He was careful to warn us that, once we got to the Grand Canyon, we shouldn't be caught out along the shuttle bus route without realizing how long it would take to get back to the train.