Dear Jake & Amelia,
We became interested in riding the Verde Canyon Railroad's Wilderness train when we found that it runs through an area accessible only by rail. The tracks follow the curving Verde River from Clarkdale to Perkinsville. 

The rail line was built in 1912 to service the mining activity in nearby Jerome. Today, two locomotives built in 1953 for the Alaskan Railroad pull passengers cars rather than hoppers of copper ore. The standard gauge train runs through a wilderness area that is a protected ecosystem. 

We had comfortable seats in one of the passenger cars, but spent most of the trip riding in an open air car with the wind blowing. The rhythm of the train was calming to our nerves. The lush Verde Valley rolled by quietly. We saw cattle grazing, a blue heron standing at the river's edge, and a bald eagle's nest occupied by an eaglet. The parent eagle was perched on top of a cliff farther down the tracks.

Nancy & Peter

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