Exploring the great Grand Canyon, 20-05-’23 untill 23-05-’23

Jul 9

Highlights video:

The Experience:

We booked a RV campsite at The Train Hotel. The locals we’ve met at KOA Flagstaff said that we should take the train to the Canyon. The Train Hotel is in Williams. Williams is a cute town, and it’s built around Route 66. Some say that the idea for the scenery in the Disney motion picture Cars comes from there. After checking in, we went for a walk to find the indoor pool and spa that we could use. It was really nice having the complete pool and spa for ourselves because no one else was there. After swimming, we bought our return ticket for the train. On the day that we got to our destination, we ate dinner at Cruiser's Route 66 Cafe. The food was delicious, and the decoration takes you back to the 60s I’m guessing and it was lovely. The Train Hotel RV campsite is next to a train track, so be prepared for a lot of honking.!

The day of the train ride. We booked the cheapest available train car, which was the Pullman. We booked the Pullman car, the cheapest option, which was restored to its original condition. But before we enter the train, we had a cowboy show prior to the train ride, which was a part of the whole day. The cowboy show was nothing special but still enjoyable. Our Personal Service Attendant (PSA) Kaitlyn was waiting to welcome us onboard. She was friendly and had a lot of knowledge about the history, program and things to do, even outside of Williams.

The ride itself was not that special actually, but the experience and the story that we’re told made the train ride worth it. Not to mention, me not driving to the Canyon. There were some people, property owners near the track, waving to us and we’re been told by Kaitlyn that they wave every single time this train goes by. We deed see some cows and horses while moving, so that was nice for James. You don’t get to see the Grand Canyon from the train, so keep that in mind. After our arrival, we had around 3 hours to spend at the Grand Canyon before returning to Williams, and Kaitlyn suggested a trail that was easy to walk with James. They paved the rim of the Canyon, making it accessible for everyone. So we walked, took photos, ate a sandwich while enjoying the view and closed off with an ice cream while enjoying the company of a friendly old couple. When we were close to the train station, the same actor Cowboys came to rob us. Their way of collecting tips, brilliant!

On the 22nd we went to Tent X campground, this campground is at the entrance of Grand Canyon. Tent X is also in Kaibab National Forest so we would sleep in a forest and that’s a nice camping feeling. Upon arrival at our campsite, there was an elk really close and was eating gras. It was also lunch time for us, so Iris made us nice sunny side up eggs with cheddar on a bagel. James and I made the picknick table ready and had lunch. After lunch, Iris went for a nap and James and I went searching for pineapples and played with the ball. When I got tired to, I put James offline with the iPad and lay down myself too. In the evening, we had a little fire by the firepit and had some smore (marshmallows). James didn’t like the marshmallows, but he loved holding them above the fire. One of them even caught on fire, and that was hilarious.

At 03:00 AM I woke up, because I set an alarm, because I wanted to photograph the galaxy and that was really awesome. I learned a lot from the photoshoot in Joshua Tree, so I knew what to do and the photos came out perfect.

The next day was relaxing. We had some breakfast. James wanted yoghurt with Fruit Loops and we had whole grain Kellog’s. After that we played some catch and got ready, and went to the Grand Canyon again. First, we went to the Visitors Center to pick up a junior ranger book for James and after headed to Matter Point to start a longer trail than we did before. This time was just walking and enjoying. No taking photos, no videos, just walking and enjoying. Before we went back, our little James got sworn in by a senior ranger to become a junior ranger. The evening was the same as yesterday. Nice meal, campfire, marshmallows, laughter, and reading.

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