FTJ, Entry 85: Arizona and Grand Canyon Country

Well. we never did get to rent that boat on Lake Powell. I caught some horrid Walmart-onic Plague (I got sick after a visit to Walmart) and first spent six hours-plus losing weight in various ways. Ahem. TMI !!  Then, for more than a day I was totally out of commission, laying on the bed moaning with a fever and body aches. Hey, what fun. Unfortunately, I spoiled the boat trip for all.

I managed to get myself together enough to make the trip to Williams, AZ, and the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, our headquarters for the week, where we planned to visit Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Williams is a very cool town, on the old Route 66. They stage an Old West shootout right in the road every night, and the shops all capitalize on Rte. 66 and the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railway is headquartered here and makes daily trips to the canyon. Mostly powered by diesel engines, on special occasions -- like Memorial Day weekend, which we just experienced -- they fire up an old-fashioned steam engine to make the run. Hearing the train's steam whistle is a pretty special sound. (We opted not to take the train, based on the reviews we read saying it was a waste of money (a lot of money) and you really don't see anything.)

There are also a number of HUGE freight trains that come barreling through Williams, right alongside our RV park. Some of them have three giant diesel engines in front, with another taking up the rear, probably due to the steep changes in elevation around here.

Some photos from the trip to Williams:

BIG COUNTRY

That is Mount Humphreys, I think -- Arizona's highest peak at more than 12,000 feet.

Williams, AZ gateway

Beau and Buddy lunch together at our site.

Uh oh. I see a disagreement brewing....

and it gets worse! Gunplay in the streets, folks!

One of Williams's proud retail establishments.

Beau gets his kicks on Route 66.

Last night we ate dinner at The Singing Pig, a great BBQ restaurant on Main Street. We also got to know the owners, Kevin and Kathi -- what a great couple. They recently opened this place and are doing very well. With such great barbecue, they should succeed! We were lucky enough to be their last patrons of the evening, so they sat and talked to us for quite a while. So fun. 

Thanks, guys, for the great meal and your hospitality. Best of luck.

Kevin and Kathi, proprietors of The Singing Pig.

Buddy enjoyed The Singing Pig, too! Kathi even gave him a bite of pulled pork.

A Williams oddity almost gets Buddy!

And yet another oddity. I tried to make friends, to no avail.

Other Williams landmarks.

 

Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona

Beau and I picked a beautiful warm day to go to Sedona. We took the scenic route, stopping at the Oak Creek Canyon overlook. It was stunning. The trip to Sedona wound down the steep, steep canyon road, with a series of sharp switchbacks making the trip quite exhilarating.

Sedona itself is filled with wonderful red rock structures, many of which have specific names based on their shapes. Supposedly, the red rocks give the town a mystical quality.

We didn't notice.

To the left, Camel Rock. Below it, to the right, the small reclining Snoopy -- you can see his feet sticking up.

 

Main Street, Sedona

 

Lunching on Main Street, Sedona. Not the best photo, but we took it using the camera's self timer.

We also made a trip to a local tourist attraction, Bearizona. It was overpriced and a bit disappointing, but there were bears there. I think it is better for families with kids. We saw a cute bighorn sheep family, bison, and a depressed wolf. .

This wolf disturbed me.

Where we've been....

Here is the map on the side of our RV -- we have covered a lot of ground!

 

 

Finally, some cute shots of Beau and Buddy fighting in the RV -- Buddy loves to chew on Beau's ear!

Today, we will go visit the Grand Canyon. It will be my third time seeing it, Beau's second. The last time we were both there was with my parents, about six months before my father Casey died. The canyon was on my dad's "bucket list," so we took him there.

I remember when Casey stood at the edge; he had tears running down his face. Very moving for everyone.

Hope we get some nice photos.

Tanks, Panky

FTJ, Entry 84: Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon

The trip from Zion, Utah, to Page, Arizona, had some MORE terrific views for us -- our country is stunningly beautiful. I, for one, am continually blown away.

Oh give me land, lots of land... dah dah dah dah dah dah dah -- DON'T FENCE ME IN.
(Barbara, fill in the blanks on this song, would ya?)

Our current stop is the Wahweap RV Resort, right on the western tip of Lake Powell, which spans into Utah as well as Arizona. In fact, we are camped almost on the Arizona/Utah state line.

Outside Lake Powell Lodge, which is a part of the resort we are staying in. Look at all the houseboats!

 

This drunk and very garrulous guy at the lodge's bar claimed he was the uncle of Troy Polamalu,
the pro football player (the gorgeous Samoan safety on the Steelers -- the one with all the hair!). 
He also claimed to have worked security for Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, and Frank Sinatra.
Who knows? He was drinking numerous shots of Jack Daniels.

Another beautiful sunset.

 

 

Lake Powell is formed by one of the world’s highest dams -- Glen Canyon Dam. The lake itself stretches for 186 miles along the old Colorado River channel, with a shoreline of 1,960 miles.

"Tex" Beaudry tools around on his trike, with the lake in the background.

Doesn't Beau look like his T-shirt of our favorite Key West singer, Michael McCloud? FUNNY!

 

Our sites at Wahweap.

So Beau had this great idea -- take a short tour (1 1/2 hours) of nearby Antelope Canyon in Page. The canyon is part of the Navajo nation and the photos looked fabulous.

We were a little worried that the trip might involve dust-eating, and as it turned out, it did. The dust from the open truck that carried us to the canyon was so bad we all had to shower -- again -- once we returned. 

But the canyon itself was phenomenal. Apparently, during heavy rains, it is inaccessible, with water rushing through it at 85 mph. In fact, National Geo tried to film the water event, but their mounted cameras got washed away!

The result of all the water? Amazing rock formations.

The openings above in one spot formed perfect eyes.

 

Unfortunately, our Navajo tour guide was not the best, so I missed a lot of the explanations.

 

The Japanese tourists were smart to wear hats and masks. But Beau said they looked like
Star Wars creatures. I took this blurry photo on the sly.

I tried to emulate our Far Eastern friends by making my own mask!

 

Great photo from Joyce.

Joyce also took this one - if you turn it over, it looks like a silhouette of Monument Valley.

This photo I took came out nice, too.

Too bad Beau and I rushed through the last third of the tour -- first some woman threw up right in front of us (YUCK), then we thought Buddy had pooped in his bag (he hadn't -- we just caught some smell and thought it emanated from him. It was probably one of our fellow tourists!). 

Oh well. As gorgeous as it all was, I was tired of dust in my hair and eyes and in the camera, which at one point would not turn off because it was so clogged.

Enough with this frigging dirt already!! Although I love the desert, I am looking forward to California.

Tomorrow we are renting a little power boat to tour Lake Powell up close and personal.

Tanks, Panky