The Grand Canyon

Flagstaff, AZ - Williams, AZ
4/29/24 - 5/2/24

Miles Traveled     42
Trip Total          2798
Travel Time       0:45

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, Arizona

The trip from Flagstaff to Williams was short, smooth and easy; right up until we stopped for fuel and propane.  Enroute to the Williams KOA, Karen called to ask if they had propane and the cost.  They did at $5.99 per gallon, OUCH!  Even the clerk at the KOA, knew that was very expensive and suggested that we go to the nearby Love's Travel Center which had it for $4.40 a gallon.  Since we also needed fuel we headed to Love's.

What a freaking mess, first the parking lot was way too small for RV's never mind multiple RV's.  They not only have propane but they also have a dump station and fresh water which makes it a very popular stop for campers that have been dry camping with no hookups.  To make it worse the propane and dump station are next to each other.  It got so bad that we were in a gridlock, with the smallest RV blocking everyone from moving, and he did not want to move until he could get to the dump station/  Angel had to go explain to him, that if he did not move no one could move and he would never get to the dump station.  After all the fun and games at Love's we headed to the KOA. 

Because it was such a short travel day we knew that we would arrive at the campground a couple of hours before check-in.  Normally if the site we are assigned is vacant they let us check in early, and today it worked out well.  The clerk at this KOA was one of the friendliest we have met.  Not only could we check in early, but she moved our sites so we could be next to each other.  While it is a very nice KOA, some of the amenities were not open yet.  Their season does not get into full swing until Memorial day.  because of that both the horseback trail rides and the go karts were closed.  The other odd thing is all of their water is trucked in.  They have a 65,000 gallon water tank that they use to supply the campground.  They are VERY big on conserving water.  The only real problem we had was how unlevel the sites were.  In order to level the RV we had to drive up on blocks, and once we did that, our sewer connection was uphill and our tanks would not drain without moving the RV. Arriving early allowed us to head out for an afternoon adventure.

Angel had found Lava River Cave, mile long lava tube cave, formed 700,000 years ago.  It was about 18 miles (As the crow fly's) from the campground.  After checking Google Maps, we headed out for a  24 mile, 45 minute ride.  Depending on how you look at it, it was either a very exciting ride or the ride from hell.   Google took us down dirt roads (not unusual for this area) but the dirt roads got narrower and narrower, and rougher and rougher.  Even in Mark and Karen's jeep about 4 miles from the cave, the road got so rough we had to turn around.  The roads were labeled as Forest Service Roads, and there were houses with mail delivery at least 10 miles in on the dirt roads.  When we got back, Mark had to take their jeep to the car to remove the two inches of mud from the bottom of it.

Tuesday we headed to the South Rim of The Grand Canyon.  It is still very early in the season, and the visitors center was closed for two weeks for training.  I think it was much better for us to come so early.  The weather was perfect and it was not crowded at all.  Having the visitors center closed did not affect us at all.  It was easy enough to figure out the park and the bus system on our own.  Once in the park there are three bus loops, taking you to various overlook areas.  There is also a trail that runs along the rim of the canyon.  You can either take the rim route trail or the buses to each overlook. 

  While I took many pictures, they do not do it justice.  Everyone should come here at least once.  In addition to the great views of the canyon, we came across a moose grazing 5 feet from the trail.

Returning back to the campground we spent about two hours planning our stops for the next two weeks.  As much as we don't like schedules Cheryl needs to be in Las Vegas for a quick trip home, and some of the campgrounds are a little harder to book for multiple sites.

Wednesday Mark & Karen and Angel and I headed back to the Grand Canyon, while Ken and Cheryl decided to hang back in Williams for the day.  Our plan for the day was to take the Red Loop Bus, and stop at each of the nine overlooks on that route.   While we were waiting for the bus, we saw people walking down the Bright Angel Trailhead.  The Bright Angel Trailhead is a very steep 6.8 mile trail that descends to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  It takes the average hiker 4 to 5 hours to hike to the bottom and about twice that to return to the top.

Waiting in line for the bus, it looked like we were going to have to wait for 3 or 4 buses, so we decided to hike part of the Bright Angel Trail.  We all agreed to go until any one of us decided it was time to turn around.  There are signs reminding you going down the canyon trail is optional, coming back up is mandatory.  Walking down the trail we passed a mule train  coming up the trail.  When they are passing, you have to stay to the cliff side of the trail and they pass you on the outside.  We also had many people pass us both as we went down and up the trail.  After hiking about a mile down the trail, we decided to stop and eat lunch on the trail before heading back up.  Yes we packed lunch! Eating PB&J sandwiches looking up to the rim of the Grand Canyon, what more can someone ask for!  The hike up was harder but well worth it.

After returning to the rim of the canyon, we hopped on the Red Loop bus and checked out the first three overlooks.  We picked the third overlook, because that is the first place you can see where the Colorado River runs through the canyon from the rim.  It would have been nice to stop at all nine overlooks, but the entire trip takes eighty minutes, not including the time you spend at each overlook and waiting for the next bus.  What we did find out, if you want you can stay in the canyon until after sunset.  The last bus leaves the furthest stop one hour after sunset.   Way too late for us! 

 

After finishing up exploring the canyon we headed back to Williams to meet up with Ken & Cheryl for dinner. Besides being a great jumping point for exploring the Grand Canyon, Williams is also the town on Route 66 that was bypassed by the building of Interstate 40.  We had a wonderful BBQ dinner at Cruiser Cafe 66, on Route 66.  Not only was dinner delicious, but the portions were large enough that we have tomorrow's lunch.

Leaving Williams we will be heading back down I40 back through Flagstaff heading to Kanab Utah, where we will go through another timezone change.  Kanab will be our basecamp for exploring Zion National Park.