It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

A train ride and the Grand Canyon. Can you beat that? We are in Williams, Arizona, for four nights, specifically so we could ride the Grand Canyon Railroad to the Grand Canyon.





Our RV park, Railside RV Ranch, drove us to the depot. Before boarding, we were treated to a wild west shootout. These three western characters convinced a "wealthy" tourist to play poker so they could cheat him out of some money.



We boarded the dome car Coconio for the 2 1/4 hour ride north to the Grand Canyon. We had great views out of the dome car windows.



Clarence Clearwater, a Navajo, entertained us with songs in four languages--English, Navajo, Cajun French and German.



We pulled into the historic Grand Canyon Depot then walk upstairs (48 steps, we were warned) to the canyon rim.



We walked over for a quick view of the canyon,


then enjoyed a great lunch in the historic El Tovar Hotel dining room.



We will staying in Trailer Village at the Grand Canyon for three nights later this week. More great views of the canyon will be in future posts.

We walked the Rim Trail for a total of about four miles. Almost everyone there was taking pictures, whether with a regular digital camera, an iPad or iPhone.



At 3:15, we re-boarded the southbound Williams Flyer.



Our dome car seats included fruit, juice and pastries in the morning and snacks and a free sparkling wine serving in the afternoon. Here is our car attendant, Laura, pouring the wine.



Jesse Jacob Anderson picked a really mean banjo for the afternoon entertainment.



The morning card sharks tried to rob the train.



And we had a great view of snow-capped Mount Humphreys on the southbound trip.



We had a really fun and entertaining day. We recommend the train trip and look forward to spending more time at the Grand Canyon in a couple of days.

No Foolin'

It may be April Fool's Day, but I mean it when I say we hooked up the truck to the RV



and left Mesa. It was about time. We had been parked there since October 5 which was 178 days ago (according to our final bill from the resort).

During my morning walk, I learned they expected 160 units (RVs as well as Park Model residents) to check out today. It is Spring and the snowbirds are flying north. I took a picture of the flower on this tree. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but the flower is beautiful.



We drove 129 miles north to Camp Verde where we are spending 4 days exploring this area. The scenery along the drive changed from desert to mountains as we climbed up onto the Mogollon Rim.



We checked into the Zane Grey RV Park. This adult-only park has 94 sites compared to the 1700+ at Valle del Oro. Just look at the difference in environment.



A short walk brought me along this tree-lined path.



I discovered this little lizard on the side of a building.



And a cute decoration.



We are glad to be on the road again.

On the Move

All over the country, RVers are on the move. September and October are great months to travel. The weather is good in most parts of the country and the leaves are turning to bright shades of gold, red and orange in many places.

The first wave of snowbirds are heading south, like we are. That move may be very slow. We are waiting till the temps in Mesa drop out of the triple digits into the low 90s. And all along I-40 and I-25, people are headed for the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque. Two different people asked if we, too, were headed there. No, we're headed west and south.

In Gallup, we saw an Airstream Caravan going to the festival. We enjoyed the decorations in the USA RV Park there.







I would hate to try and sit on this saddle.



We couldn't believe the location of the TV satellite on this small RV. I hope they move it when they drive down the road.



We are spending two nights in Holbrook, AZ, along old Route 66. That is about all the town has going for it at this point.



We wandered through the town's cemetery. We found a number of graves marked as unknown. When we read about the town's history, we learned it was a really rough and tough place in the early years. When the Texas Rangers chased the outlaws from that state, they made their way to this part of Arizona. One year, at least 26 people were shot to death here. Maybe they are some of the unknowns in the cemetery.



You can tell a motel has been around a long time when you see it has refrigeration (air conditioning) and electric heat.



Some of the old signs are kind of cool and bring back memories of Historic Route 66.









The Navajo County Courthouse was built in 1898 and used that way until 1975. It now houses the visitor center and a museum.



All over the town you can see petrified wood. After all, the Petrified Forest is just down the road.



There are also murals on some of the buildings.





We ate breakfast at Tom and Suzie's Diner. The food was OK, but the building was like most of the town, old and run down, but very clean. Our RV park, OK RV, is the same way.

Clear Skies and Another State

Today we entered yet another state, Utah. That is four this week. Driving into and across Idaho, we continued to have smokey skies.



During our 2-night stay in Boise, we were able to run (John) and walk (Carol) three miles each morning along the Boise River. It is a really neat trail through the woods



across the river



and along upscale neighborhoods.



The campground is right next to the fair grounds, which are very large, but old. I loved this sign.



We saw these cormorants above the river.



I don't often blog about the RV parks we stay in, especially those located behind a gas station. But the one we stayed in last night, Valley of Trees, was really special. The first photo is of our site. The driveway you see is for the next site over. Since no one parked there overnight, the second photo shows the view we had of the Valley of Trees between us and the gas station.





Today, as we drove from Declo, ID, to Brigham City, UT, the skies were smoke free but filled with a mix of clouds and sun. I really liked these clouds.



We saw very little evidence of wildfires today. Yesterday, we drove by mile after mile of burned sagebrush. We did see this hillside that had been burned.



In this photo, we couldn't decide if we were seeing smoke or irrigation sprinklers in the distance.



During our stay at Santa Ana NWR in Alamo, TX, early this year, we saw fields of onions being harvested. Today we saw this truckload of Idaho onions. Obviously, we have fresh produce year-round because different parts of the country raise fruits and vegetables at different times of the year.



Not only do they grow onions in this part of the country, they also raise cattle. This is the sign for Grants Range Bulls.



And that's no bull. It's plastic.