Today - we traveled from Williams, Az - gateway to the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley in Utah. Karen reminded me that I haven't updated the blog for a few days and if I wasn't careful - I would get a nasty email/comment from Logger about my tardiness. So, when someone is right - you don't argue - just follow their advice and hence - another entry.
When I last updated you on our travels, we had spent the day touring the Valley of Fire and Lake Mead. We rested on Saturday and Sunday - spent another marathon day touring the surrounding countryside around Vegas. We first went to Mount Charleston, spent time in the upper altitudes and watched the citizens of Las Vegas while they sled in the snow. We went up to the Ski resorts - although to be fair - most people don't come to Vegas for the skiing and there is a reason for that. The resort seemed OK - but it would be more like the ski resorts of Michigan - not Vale or Tahoe.
Then - back down the mountain and further north until we came to a small village called Beattie - which is the gateway to Death Valley. We had starved Liz as our food options were fairly limited up till then, so we stopped in a small cafe prior to making the trek through Death Valley (didn't want to end up like the travelers of old in Wagon Trains trying to cross to the promised land.) Then off for a tour of the Valley. The variety of scenery that we experienced that day was amazing - and all within a couple hours drive of Vegas.
Monday - we stayed close to Vegas, went to the Venetian and decided to go ahead and book a show at the Mirage for when we return to Vegas next week. That way - we will have something to look forward to. All in all - a fun time in Sin City.
Tuesday morning we set out fairly early (although as Liz said - we haven't got a rush in us - so fairly early is really late to most others) for the Grand Canyon. After Karen's trip earlier in the week - we thought that we would stay at the campsite up in Grand Canyon Village and use their shuttle buses for getting around the south rim. I had mentioned to Karen that we ought to book - but neither of us took the initiative and so when it came time and we called - they were all filled up. That meant that we would need to stay down in Williams and drive up to the Canyon in the morning.
We arrived in Williams in the late afternoon - and spent a fair amount of time going around to the different options of RV parks as Williams is far from flat and with the recent snow, we had to make sure that we were convenient to all of the necessary facilities and that the snow wouldn't hamper our progress. Williams is a small community - the last town on the original Route 66 to be bypassed by the Interstate. It makes its living off of tourism and does a good job of it. After reviewing our options for the Canyon, we decided to
leave the motor home in-situ on Wed and take the train up to the Canyon from Williams. Made for a great day - starting with a very corny Wild West Show - (got talking to one of the 'cowboys' in the show and he was from Freeland, Mi - kind of takes the shine off the 'old west' myths), then the train departing for the canyon. It is far from fast and takes 2 hours and a bit to cover the 65 miles. We then hopped aboard our booked bus tour of the canyon and had the time to enjoy the most amazing sites. Even managed to see a young Elk - crossing the road in front of our bus - not particularly bothered that there was a diesel bus filled with tourist taking pictures less than 10' away. No matter how much you read about the Grand Canyon, or how many people tell you about it - your still not prepared for what you see and the grandeur of it all.
By the end of the day - we were worn out and ready to sleep on the train back to Williams. Unfortunately - that wasn't to be - as the cowboys from the morning decided to rob the train - after the engineer kindly stopped the train for them to get on. The kids were thrilled - their parents not so much since they were looking for tips - and those of us that were looking to get some sleep - had to accept that that was not to be.
Thursday - another day of travel - We got on the road around 10:30 - and planned on only driving about 200 miles - so I didn't think we would be pushing the daylight available. But no - because no matter how short a drive we intend - we manage to use up all our time stopping for pictures, eating or shopping - there may even be a bit of time wasted pumping gas - which take my word for it - is usually a minimum of 30 min to complete. We drove through some amazing country, finally ending up in Monument Valley, UT. There we found a fantastic RV park with amazing scenery. We are planning on taking a guided tour through the valley tomorrow - looking forward to that...We shall keep you posted...
leave the motor home in-situ on Wed and take the train up to the Canyon from Williams. Made for a great day - starting with a very corny Wild West Show - (got talking to one of the 'cowboys' in the show and he was from Freeland, Mi - kind of takes the shine off the 'old west' myths), then the train departing for the canyon. It is far from fast and takes 2 hours and a bit to cover the 65 miles. We then hopped aboard our booked bus tour of the canyon and had the time to enjoy the most amazing sites. Even managed to see a young Elk - crossing the road in front of our bus - not particularly bothered that there was a diesel bus filled with tourist taking pictures less than 10' away. No matter how much you read about the Grand Canyon, or how many people tell you about it - your still not prepared for what you see and the grandeur of it all.
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