Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort (4-14 May 23)
You might as well settle in and grab a glass of your favorite beverage because this is looking like it may be a longer than normal read. That can be attributed to two factors: 1) it was a longer than usual (10-days) stay; 2) we saw and did a lot! So, without further delay, let me begin our bucket list adventure!
I will start by recalling the drive up from Phoenix. We started at 5:00 a.m. to stay ahead of forecast strong winds. That was a wise decision! Winds were reported at 50+ mph later in the day. It was a relatively short 2-hr drive, so we were in place well before check-in time. We found a breakfast grill at a nearby gas station and took advantage of the time to eat. Afterward, I called the campground to see how early we could get in. The campground staff was completely understanding about the weather and were happy to get us in at 10:00 a.m. Our assigned site was open, so we were buttoned down by 10:30 a.m. ahead of the worst winds. And then the fun begins!
Our first effort was to contact a local dentist to get Tina in for a look because of some severe tooth pain. We were able to get her in for the last appointment of the day. Diagnosis – probable root canal! The staff at Dentists of Flagstaff were outstanding! They contacted an endodontist for a referral, and she was set to go the next Thursday. A few pain meds and a trip to the Grand Canyon later, Tina underwent a root canal. It was back to the dentist the following day to put on a permanent crown and all is good! Pain free and still traveling! The doctors at Flagstaff Endodontics were also phenomenal and if you are ever in Flagstaff and need some dental work done, they have our highest recommendations! They were all truly skilled professionals and made what could have been a miserable experience something that was not much more than a bump in the road! Thanks to them all!!
So, back to the story . . . We arrived on a Thursday and started with lunch at Flagstaff ahead of Tina’s first trip to the dentist. We found a nice little craft brewery called the “Beaver Street Brewery” in the historic downtown area of town. We did a flight to find our favorite. Tina liked their Shandy and I favored the Seasonal Lager. A couple of others were also good, but the highlight was their pizza! We had a supreme and added some Italian sausage to offset some of the veggies. The crust was hand tossed and perfectly cooked! Great pizza and worth the stop!
So, after a bit of touring around the immediate area, it was off to the dentist. In short, the tooth was cracked pretty badly resulting in an immediate referral to the endodontist. In the interim, they placed a temporary crown on the tooth to arrest some of the discomfort. Ummmm . . . it did not work . . . but before the Novocain wore off, we stopped at the “Bearizona” drive through wildlife park just outside of Williams.
Bearizona is a recognized animal rescue rehabilitation facility with both a drive through and a small walk-through zoo area where they care for bears, wolves, bison, and other wild animals not typically found roaming free. Black bears, Grizzly bears, and Arctic wolves were definitely some close encounters! We also saw bison, elk, otters, beaver, badgers and more furry little critters. Personally, the cost/benefit is a little off, but if you do go, you will not get any closer to wild black bears and grizzlies without visiting Alaska!
We were back in Flagstaff the next day to pick up some pain meds for the tooth and drop off my laptop for a screen replacement. Tina was in so much tooth pain that she threw my laptop across the trailer and smashed it! I should have picked up the pain meds sooner! Just kidding about tossing the laptop! 😉 It slipped off the chair and hit the table pedestal foot just at the right angle to make my life miserable. (It was repaired in a couple of days by Alpine Computer Repair at a very reasonable cost. Working great again!)
Before I digress further, I was talking about another visit to Flagstaff. Primary Objective: Pain meds! On ‘pharmacy and computer day’, we also checked out a couple of more breweries. “Dark Sky Brewing Company” was okay, but the beer list was limited and not spectacular. We went to another one called the “Lumberyard Brewing Company” and were quite pleased.
Lumberyard was a hit, and as we found out are a separate, but sister brewery to the “Historic Brewing Company” located in both Flagstaff and Williams. Lumberyard also distributes to the other local craft breweries. More on Historical later, but the point is we – scratch that – ‘I’ very much enjoyed their offerings to include the Railhead Red and their Pale Ale. The Red was so good, I took a six pack to go! The better part was that since it was distributed, I found it at every other brewery we tried! Tina was doing drugs, so she had to leave all the taste testing to me! It was a tough job, but I am a team player, and the drinking must go on!
Feeling no pain and having snacked at both Dark Sky and Lumberyard, we proceeded to the “Walnut Canyon National Monument” only a few miles outside of Flagstaff. We have some photos included, but the focus of this monument is to highlight the history of Native American tribes’ cliff dwelling lifestyle in the now barely flowing Walnut Creek valley. There is a hiking trail that descends into and across the creek allowing access to some of the adobe house sights on the other side. We did NOT opt for that and observed from the deck at the visitors center and along a shorter rim trail on our side of the creek. It was nice!
The weekend upon us and pain meds working as designed, we decided to explore locally in Williams awaiting our Monday departure for the Grand Canyon. As it was lunch time, we tracked down the “Pizza Factory” because of a recommendation from the bartender at Lumberyard. Great recommendation! The hand tossed ‘Factory Special’ (add sausage) was delicious! This place makes it on our favorites list!
After some other stops and later in the day, we ended up looking for more nutrition! As briefly mentioned before, the Historic Brewing Co in Williams is a sister brewery to the Lumberyard and co-produced a couple of beers. In addition to the Railhead Red, I also tried their Pale Ale and do not regret either of those choices. The Historic also had a burger worthy of mention – the ‘Bacon Black and Bleu Burger.’ Delicious of course, but what isn’t good with bacon! Historic also has a small game arcade and electronic shooting gallery in the bar if you get bored!
I will break with chronological reporting and discuss some of the other spots we visited in Williams, then finish with our trip to the Grand Canyon. Williams is also home to the “Grand Canyon Winery” located only a couple of doors down from Historic. We (I) tried a flight of their wines, and they were all great! Ryan, our “host” was a relatively new local, but with past travels and experiences was a fount of knowledge! Appreciate all the info! Wine and company were great and we walked away with some red and white for later reminiscing! We stopped in a couple of gift shops, notably the “Thunder Eagle” where Tina discovered the hand-crafted silver and stone jewelry. Happy Mothers’ Day! 😊 I believe the “Olive of the Best” olive oil and vinegar store also enjoyed our presence. No complaints – Tina is an EXCELLENT cook, and all supplies are welcome! (She also found an Asian Market in Flagstaff!) We made a brief stop at “Cruiser’s Route 66 Café” and finished with the world famous “Sultana Bar.”
According to the plaque on the wall as you walk into the bar, Sultana’s “famous” status was earned during “Prohibition” in the 1920s. Opened in 1912, ‘The World-Famous Sultana Bar and Theater’ has always been the center of activity in Williams. As we learned, at one time the town of Williams had a series of tunnels and a small river running under main street that connected several “speakeasies” of the time. The prohibited alcoholic drinks (moonshine and other spirits) were transported from business to business via the tunnels. Thankfully, times have changed, or we would not have met Dave and Beth.
The couple are RV kindred spirits and after several years of a full-time live aboard experience on their boat, and an additional couple of years of full-time RV living, are about to move into their self-built, off the grid house just outside of Williams. They were a fascinating couple to talk to about past travels and had some great insight on our next stop in Las Vegas. Dave and Beth, if you are reading this – it was nice meeting you and thanks for the tips! Congrats and all the best on your new (stationary) home!
The only other place we visited was the “Grand Canyon Brewery and Distillery” that was only a short walk across the street from our site on the campground. Proximity counts! Also a highly recommended eatery, neither the beer nor food disappointed! Again, we opted for the pizza in our perpetual search for the ultimate pizza! The jury is still out, but this Italian pie is definitely on the list as one of our favorites! The beer was also just as tasty, and I had a pilsner while Tina watched! Unfortunately, we did not plan well enough to check out the distillery also located on the property. I guess that is one reason to re-visit Williams!
Ok . . .finally . . . the actual “Grand Canyon” portion of our trip! Earlier, I mentioned that this is a “bucket list” stop on our travels across our great country! We did sort of go all out on this part of our summer vacation, so we opted to take the “Grand Canyon Railway” train from Williams up the South Rim where we stayed in a lodge (hotel) for a couple of days while we toured around the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Prior to boarding the train, there was a ‘Wild West Show’ of sorts at a mock Western town beside the train station. It was a nice story about some of the town characters and set the stage for a future event. The train ride up was great and is highly recommended if you get the opportunity. We opted for the glass domed car which offered unobstructed views for the entire ride. Thankfully the weather was perfect for the entire three days. The train ride also included entertainment and assistance by a very knowledgeable (and funny) Passenger Service Assistant (PSA) named Noele. With 4-years’ experience and over 1,500 trips to and from the Canyon, she was full of information and had a great sense of humor! There was also live entertainment by singers and musicians while we enjoyed a snack bar (included) and a cash bar service. The trip was a little over 2 hours leaving Williams at 9AM and arriving at 1115AM at the South Rim.
Upon arrival we had a couple of hours to kill while we waited for check-in time at the lodge. Our top priority was to get our first look of the canyon from GC Village area located up a slight hill from the train station. The only word that comes close to describing our initial view of the Grand Canyon is ‘breath taking!’ A little trivia… from this viewing area, it is the widest point of the canyon, measuring 18 miles across to the North Rim. The average distance between the North and South Rim over the length of the 277-mile Grand Canyon is 10 miles. As you will see from the pictures, the sights are amazing! While it looks surreal in some of the pictures – I am telling you the pictures do not do justice to seeing this magnificent sight in person. It is truly a natural wonder!
On our second day, we did take a scheduled 2-hr tour by motor coach with a guide/driver to the western edge of the “Rim Trail” to a point called “Hermits Rest.” In hindsight, I probably would not have done that except for the fact that the driver, Scott, was an excellent tour guide! His grasp of the history of the Canyon and other facts and figures about the same was remarkable! Add to that, he possesses a good sense of humor, so it was a good combo! My hindsight hesitancy is that the National Park Service provides a free shuttle service along the exact same route and includes several more stops not visited during the tour. Tina calls it a toss-up and while I mostly agree with her, the guided tour was not free! The views were certainly the same! 😊
As mentioned, the NPS offers a free shuttle service for the 14-mile stretch of the Rim Trail from Hermits Rest to Yaki Point. Hermits Rest is on the Western end of the Red Route which starts/stops at the Grand Canyon Village at a transfer from the Blue Line. The Grand Canyon Visitors’ Center (main parking lot) is at the other end of the Blue Line where you can pick up the Yellow Line East or West. The Yellow Line East takes you to Yaki Point, which is the furthest eastern viewpoint serviced by the park shuttle. The views from every stop are amazing and they are all different as witnessed by well over 200 photos taken by me! What did I say earlier – breath taking!
A quick note, we were disappointed about the Main Visitors’ Center which was not open while we were there. We were there from Monday noon until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The visitor center, while we were there was open Thursday through Monday from 8:00-12:00 a.m. It was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We did not see the film/video or see what else the center offered. The restricted business hours were contributed to a staff shortage.
Regardless of the disappointment of the Visitor Center, there was much more to see! I will resist writing ad infinitum on every venue we visited and instead provide the link so you can check them out at your leisure. I will save any comments for the highlights.
The first shop we visited – located right next to our first view of the Canyon – was the “Hopi House.” A gift shop with a story, it was stocked with more of the high-end and hand-made art and craft work from local Native American artists and artisans. There was also the “Verkamp’s Visitor Center”, “Mary Colter Lookout Studio”, the “Kolb Studio” and a couple of dining options that I will talk about.
We opted for a late lunch/early dinner at the “Bright Angel Lodge’s” Ed Harvey Restaurant prior to checking into our lodge room. This was the mid-level of the dining options at the Grand Canyon Village. Our initial experience was good and the only negative was the vegetable sides to our main course. Tina had the salmon, and I had the baked chicken. Both were cooked well and tasty, but the ‘chef’s choice’ vegetable sides were not quite on the same par. Overcooked . . .been in the pot all day . . . I don’t know, but they were barely edible and poor quality for the prices they charge – tourist area or not. We did give them a second chance for lunch on our last day while waiting for our return train to Williams. If possible, this experience was worse. I will spare you the details, but McDonalds can do better!
Quick and dirty – breakfast at the “Maswik Lodge” was a disaster. Pseudo cafeteria style, the server was the movie stereotype on a food line where the food is slopped on your plate and pushed down the line. I had scrambled eggs – everywhere, with sausage links (cold.) Tina opted for the pancakes (cold) and also the sausage. Of course, temperatures are not discovered until we sat down to eat. I will end with that was a poor experience and not worth $40!
Our next lunch was at the “El Tovar Hotel”. Food, service and company was outstanding! We were graciously invited to share a table with a couple we met on our bus tour. “Jim and Jasmine Tritten” were a true pleasure to meet and get to know during the tour and over lunch. Jim is also a former Navy Tailhooker, and along with Jasmine are both accomplished authors and bloggers! We had a great time chatting and look forward to seeing them again later in our trip! Again, the food was top notch – beef stroganoff for Tina and I had the Elk Burger! Delicious!
There was one other eatery, the “Arizona Steakhouse”, but it was booked the entire time we were there. We were not warned ahead of time of the popularity of this restaurant, but it must be good! I guess that is enough on our food journey.
The El Tovar also had a patio bar with an excellent view of the Canyon and a nice sitting area. Beer, wine and some pre-canned cocktails were available for reasonable costs. We may have stopped here more than once! 😉 It was a great place to ‘people watch.’
Alas, the time at the South Rim had to end with a train ride back to Williams. Same experience with a different PSA and entertainers. The snack bar was a nice charcuterie and fruit bar. The cash bar was also open with a couple of specialty drinks which were quite tasty! The excitement on the return trip was the train robbery by some horse mounted bandits! Oddly, they looked very similar to the cowboys we saw at the show before we boarded to head to the South Rim. Hmmmm . . .???? I guess that brings me to a short description of the “Grand Canyon RV Resort and Hotel.” I already told you about the staff assistance on our day of arrival. They were great! The lot was all paved with adequate room between sites. Reservation at the RV resort also provided access to the hotel facilities which were a short walk away. There was a nice laundromat on the RV site and a community fire pit. The Grand Canyon Brewery and Distillery is right across the street! All in all . . .a nice place and worthy of a revisit!
Camping up with the Joneses 