WOW...I am saying WOW right now, and we have not yet been to the Grand Canyon. We had a very full and wonderful day today! We left the hotel around 9, continuing our trek on 40 West.
Mountains came into view pretty early on in the day..
Mountains came into view pretty early on in the day..
It was so interesting, because the ground was reddish brownish, but the mountains were seemingly green. As we got closer to them, you could see that they were the same reddish dirt, but spattered with the same low growing shrubby trees. No leaves ANYWHERE all day...just scrubby pine trees-but still quite different from those evergreens in NJ.
I think I enjoyed today's scenery the best (although Tennessee was so lush and green). We browsed through a few roadside shops, and that was fun..
Then, back on the highway, and into Arizona!!! We saw a train going across the desert--it seemed like a scene out of the early 1900's..
Our "the Road less traveled" of the day--we have TWO today!!! First, the meteor crater near Williams, AZ. The crater is a mile long! It was so cool! You get off the highway, and drive 6 miles south, and there it is! A HUGE crater in the desert! There was a museum, and wlakign tours. We enjoyed it VERY much...
Then the REALLY big surprise! Walnut Canyon National Park! We were nearly to our hotel when we saw one of those interesting brown signs..telling us to turn off at the next exit to see this intriguing site. By this time, we had been driving through a FOREST (yes, a forest)..
it was soo beautiful!
it was soo beautiful!
We secured binoculars from the ranger, and took a 30 minute walk to various look out point of the canyon. This canyon inhabited cliff dwellers years ago...
It was soooo quiet, except the sound of the wind blowing through the trees in the canyon...it was calming, peaceful...
After walking on the trail, spotting lizards, rabbits, and talking with Craig's mom who sure wishes she was with us, we left for some dinner. We drove about 20 minutes and arrived at the historic town of Williams, the original gateway to the Grand Canyon.
We ate a yummy homestyle cooked dinner at Pine Country Restaurant..
Craig got a HUGE piece of chocolate pie!
Craig got a HUGE piece of chocolate pie!
Williams is a bustling little town with lots of antique shops, restaurants, and the Grand Canyon Railway. Our hotel is the best one yet! It has the feel of a lodge, with huge fireplaces, and outdoor fire pit, heated outdoor pool, whirlpool...we are living it up!! We have stayed at Best Westerns every night so far, and have been more and more pleased. We go away and stay in hotels so rarely that EVERYTHING is exciting! The little soaps, the sily pen and stationary kit...the heated light in the bathroom...anyone who knows me knows I am pretty easy to impress--all I can say is WOW! I love everything about it! I love that Craig wakes up and goes down and brings me coffee..I love the breakfast spread that Best Western lays out every morning...I love the king size beds! I love the crisp cool air conditioning. I love eating Subway (EAT FRESH) for lunch, knowing it is cheap AND good for us (or at least, not as horrible as some things). I love the sily things that we pull over to see-
which reminds me, I almost forgot to mention today's silly thing:
the "World's longest map of U.S. Route 66"
which reminds me, I almost forgot to mention today's silly thing:
the "World's longest map of U.S. Route 66"
More than anything, I love the opportunity to see this great country of ours--to see so much of God's creation that I haven't seen before, with Craig. We see things the same way when it comes to travel, nature, plants, and animals--we are so National Geographic..lol and I love that too!
We took that train out of Williams a few years ago and it was fun...it feels like you are in an old western movie...they even have a train robbery included! And I remember a wonderful gift shop that had nice good quality stuff. Web bought a jacket there and it has "Grand Canyon Railway" on it. He still wears it all the time.
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