We woke up early, hitched and started our short 90 mile drive to the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park in Williams, AZ. We would only be staying here tonight and wanted to have an much time as possible at the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the campground was still an hour drive from the Grand Canyon but it was the closest one we could find.
When we arrived Adam went into the office to get us checked in and the clerk told him we would have a beautiful day since there was no rain in the forecast. He came back into the truck, shared this with us and as the last word left his lips some of the biggest rain drops I have ever seen started pelting our windshield. We drove over to our site and unhitched as the rain continued to fall. We kept thinking this must be a fluke and will let up.
This campground was located right next to Historic Route 66 and while we were here we wanted to see this too. Even though it would mean shortening our time at the Grand Canyon we decided to have lunch on Route 66 to give the weather some time to pass. Route 66 looked exactly as I imagined with stores, restaurants and gas stations lining the streets with lots of neon signage.
We went into some stores and checked out a few restaurant menus. When we came across the Pine Country Restaurant it looked like the perfect spot for our lunch. It was very country quaint in here and they had a nice selection on their menu. The kids meals came with a vanilla soft serve cone for dessert. They had a huge variety of homemade pies too. We had a leisurely lunch but as our limited time was ticking away we had to get going.
The drive out to the Grand Canyon was unlike we expected, with the terrain being extremely flat. It continued to rain off and on the whole way. Our original plan was to park at a hotel outside of the park and take a shuttle in. The skies still looked ominous and I really didn't want to be reliant on and waiting for the shuttle with the unsettled weather. Adam and I agreed it was worth it to take the 6 mile drive into the park and if we had a problem we could then come back. All the information we found about the Grand Canyon said how it was nearly impossible to park there. Since it was very overcast and raining there were plenty of parking spots. We were counting on it being warm as was forecasted and none of us were dressed appropriately for the cool chill in the air. Thinking this was going to blow over and the sun would come out we never grabbed jackets or changed into long pants before driving over. We began our time here at the visitor center and went through their exhibit. We also watched the video about the Grand Canyon.
The girls picked up their Jr Ranger books. We asked the park ranger how we could get their badges after completing the books since the visitor center would be closed and we only had this one evening in the park. She was very kind and offered to swear them in now and give them their badges on the promise they complete the books. Ella and Lily were very happy about this.
It remained very chilly but the rain had let up for the time being. We walked over to see the Grand Canyon for ourselves. Immediately we noticed the absolute enormity of the canyon and could see the multiple variations in the rock colors. Without the sun's rays shining down the canyon looked very dark as the gray tones overpowered. It was spectacular to see but we did not explore or do any hikes as we were all freezing.
I think the universe felt sorry for us since this would be our only experience here. As we were driving out of the park we came to an intersection where there were tons of elk feeding in the forest just next to the street. We turned down the street and pulled over to get a better view of all of them. It was so amazing to sit there and watch as they feasted on the greenery. All of us were furiously snapping pictures left and right while in awe of how many there were and how close they were to us.
After spending a significant amount of time elk gazing we made the hour drive back to Williams. While we were driving back the universe provided us with one last treat for the night. As we drove we were able to watch a glorious sunset. The bright orange sun was peaking through the clouds and the colors we did not get to experience at the Grand Canyon were appearing in the sky above us. Even though it was not the day we were expecting, we were able to make the best of it and I am sure we will be back again.
