Summer Journey - Part 1

Day 1: Friday, June 12th
School's out for summer! We were excited to begin our journey, but not surprisingly (*smile*), we got off to a late start. Intending to leave in the morning, we finally got loaded up around 2 o'clock. We saved loading the refrigerator and freezer until the last minute because it would turn on but didn't get cold (which is ironic in light of the fact that our refrigerator in the house had broken down the day before and we had to beg for same-day service from the Sears repairman!). Undaunted, we got in the truck about 2:20 and entered the address of our first destination, only to be told by our new navigation system that the address could not be located! With the GoogleMaps directions in hand (like good Scouts, we were prepared), we pulled out anyway. When we reached level ground, we turned on the refrigerator again, crossed our fingers and headed on down the road.

We stopped for a quick dinner at the junction of highways 46 and 5, and we were delighted to find that our refrigerator was working just fine. Then we rolled on until we reached the Calico KOA in Barstow. Arriving in the dark of night (against the advice of our friend Sheila), we were pleased by what we could see: a neat campground, populated by other travelers like ourselves (it can be a bit disconcerting when there are too many permanent residents with fences and flowerpots!). The site was nice and level, and we didn't even have to unhitch. We simply plugged into the electricity, popped out our slides and settled in for the night.

Day 2: Saturday, June 13th
In the morning, our initial impressions were confirmed. We had a quick breakfast in the trailer and decided to hit the campground's showers (since we weren't fully hooked up). They were nice and clean, like the rest of the park. We were a little surprised to find out that they were pay-as-you-go showers. Armed with quarters, we returned to the showers. One of us took a 2-quarter shower, another a 3-quarter shower and one of us a 4-quarter shower (Can you guess by whom?).

It didn't take long to break camp, and we were soon on the road to our "real" first destination: a campground near the Grand Canyon. Having arrived at night, we couldn't see the surrounding area. But when we left, it was apparent we weren't in the fertile valleys of California anymore. The terrain was very dry and dusty, with little vegetation and black rocks erupting from the soil.

We stopped for lunch at a roadside diner in Needles, which boasted of Route 66 origins. The parking lot was set up for truckers and George slid our trailer into place like a big rig driver. The kids enjoyed bottles of "Route (66) Beer," and Natalie had her first-ever Monte Cristo sandwich.

We rolled in to our campground in Williams, AZ: the Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort, in the late afternoon for our 3-night stay. We were in line behind an interesting family. At first, based on their clothes, we thought they might be Amish. But after taking in their numbers (two men, five women and seven children) and considering our proximity to Utah, it appeared that they may have been an entirely different sect.

What the RV park lacked in charm (it was basically a parking lot with full hook-ups) it made up for with it's location and amenities. It is co-located with a hotel and adjacent to the rail station that serves the Grand Canyon. After picking up our rail tickets for the next day, we explored Willaims' portion of Route 66 and enjoyed dinner at a 50's style diner.

Day 3, Sunday, June 14th
We awoke earlier than expected...something to do with the RV park being right next to the railroad and the 5:30 a.m. train coming to town with it's whistle blowing!

Before we boarded the train for our journey to the Grand Canyon, we enjoyed a whimsical wild-west show. The train ride was about 65 miles, and we were fascinated by the different terrain and vegation we passed through. During the trip, we were serenaded by a cowboy, told stories by our coach's conductor and visited by the Marshall (who, for some reason, pegged Leland as a delinquent, asking why, at age 10 he didn't have a job or a wife!). While the train travel was a lot of fun, we were anxious to get to the real star of the show: the Grand Canyon.

And then we arrived. Walking up the stairs and over a small ridge, we were finally there. And it was, in a word, breathtaking. I was pleased to discover that unlike many other childhood memories, the Grand Canyon was still as big as I remembered! It was George, Natalie and Leland's first view of the Canyon, and they were duly impressed.

With a limited time in the park on this day (we had to return on the train at 3:30 p.m.), we made the most of our time on the rim near the "village." We had a quick stroll around the rim, got Leland enrolled in the Junior Ranger's program and had lunch at the "Arizona Room" overlooking the canyon. Then we made our way East on the Rim Trail. We didn't get very far though--as we had to stop at every turn and take a picture of the view. (We'll post a slideshow of pictures as soon as we have an Internet connection that will support the large transfer of files.)

Karma was in full force this day. One of my clearest memories of the Canyon was my mother's panic everytime I got near the edge. At age 8, I had no fear and was bemused by her reaction. Fast-forward to the present. Natalie is now the one without fear, and I was the one standing well back and sick to my stomach at her proximity to the edge.

On the return train trip, we were serenaded (this time by an Indian), entertained by some really lame jokes ("California has Happy Cows, but Arizona has Summer Cows...."some are" brown, "some are" black and "some are" white.) and the train was boarded by robbers. The railway was so proud of its recycling efforts that it even recycled a few of the actors from the morning's wild west show to be the train robbers in the afternoon!

Returning to the campground, we grilled steaks, enjoyed an Arizona sunset, and we planned our next day's visit to the Grand Canyon. More to come!