Arizona and the Freakin Grand Canyon

Holy cow at this stop. We were at the Grand Canyon Railway Park in Williams, AZ for 3 weeks and just WOW! Williams is less than an hour from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and, being a railway station, offer a daily trip on an old Wild West style train trip. 

Wikipedia says:

Also known as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon”, Williams was the last city on Historic Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. The community, bypassed on October 13, 1984, continues to thrive on tourism. Boasting seven fishing lakes in the area, hiking trails up Bill Williams Mountain and into Sycamore Canyon, an alpine ski area and cross country ski trails, four-seasons weather and an abundance of wildlife, Williams offers unlimited recreational opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast.

The Historic Downtown District covers six square blocks. Williams boasts a rich heritage that features the Old West and Route 66, coupled with tourism trends today and the city’s heyday years of the ’50s and ’60s.

I have to say, I loved being in Williams. We actually arrived on a Saturday, which is highly unusual for us, but Kimberly had to fly out on a Sunday (also weird), which made Saturday travel day to Williams from Albuquerque necessary.  

Upon arrival we saw the Grand Canyon Brewery across the parking lot. I did not even know that when I booked this site. Imagine our delight! Let’s just say we became regulars in our 3 weeks there. Williams, unlike Albuquerque, was not known for their colorful and flavor bomb food. It was more like food for the hungry hikers and cowboys complete with homemade pies and plenty of pancakes and bacon. If you are reading this, you likely know I don’t eat like that but I still had pie and pancakes and they were amazing.

Our three weeks was chopped up by Kimberly working, me taking a 5 day break to visit the Bay Area in order to extend an airline credit another year, and Kimberly hanging out with Catherine in an extended work trip/chill weekend in Simpsonville, South Carolina. And, SNOW. We experienced winter in a whole new way. 

My trip to San Francisco was way better than I could have ever hoped for. I hadn’t had a break from Mollie and Yolo in many months and who knew how much I needed it? My dear friend and fellow Ho, Helen, was the best hostess ever.  She too needed a break from her world and I sort of forced that on her. But we quickly made a list of “must do’s” and proceeded to enjoy every moment of our time. We made it to the Marin Headlands and Rodeo Beach one day where we found a labyrinth atop a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was an amazing and magical day as I watched my anxiety blow from the center of the labyrinth into the cold, crisp, air and down the cliffs to the ocean. Exactly the re-centering I needed. 

Helen lives in Novato; a perfect town in Marin, and close to everything. We even visited the campground we will be at the last two weeks in April. Another perfect location! We squeezed in walks with my second favorite puppers, Honey. We ate at some of my favorite places including “Fish” in Sausalito overlooking the very Bay I learned to sail on.

 

So, even though we were settled in magical and beautiful Arizona, I took a 5 day reprieve in San Francisco. And, Kimberly and Mollie spent their first time alone together in Yolo. Guess what happened? SNOW STORM happened. I had prepared Yolo for that potential and Kimberly and Mollie were just fine. So, just for the record, my “Florida Girl” wife just managed her first snow storm, living in a 31’ RV, with a 10 pound puppers. I was so proud!

When I had the first week in Williams, I finally bought our lifetime National Parks Pass. That same day I went to Bearizona Wildlife Park. It’s the only park of its kind in the Southwest. It has a collection of native North American wildlife roaming free in Arizona Wilderness. I loved it! 

The next day I jumped in the car and drove to the South Rim entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. In less than an hour, I was overlooking one of the natural wonders of the world. I walked about 4 miles of the South Rim before finding an Elk Burger and a cold draft beer. If you are reading this and have not been to the Grand Canyon, add it to your bucket list. It’s hard to describe it so just go. 

When Kimberly got back, we headed to Sedona for a day. WOW again. The colors and the natural “architecture” were indescribable. And the energy exuding from the landscape felt so healing and magical. You can see by the pictures that Sedona also needs to go on your list.

And, because of weather, the train trip to the Grand Canyon happened on our last full day there. It was a cold and snowy day so the experience was totally different for me as Kimberly had her first Grand Canyon WOW. 

Enjoy the pictures from 3 weeks in Arizona. Arizona is an awesome State that has beauty and open space we have not seen anywhere we have been before.