Arizona-Gateway to the Grand Canyon-State 13 of 49 on our Adventure-Part 3

If you are a first-time reader, welcome to Lora and Erics RV Adventure Blog. You can read about us at http://www.LoraandEricsRVAdventure.com. We started in December 2017 with a goal to complete 49 states before heading home to North Carolina.

Today we leave Mesa, Arizona to drive to Williams, AZ. The time to drive from Mesa Regal RV Resort to Railside RV Ranch & Cabin Resort in Williams, AZ is 2 h 54 min (198 mi) via I-17 N. Driving towards Flagstaff, AZ the elevation goes up to 7,000 feet. The largest mountain in Flagstaff has snow at its crest. Actually a few days earlier the area had snow in the lower elevations for a short time.

Williams is known as the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park via the Grand Canyon Railway. The town is part of historic Route 66 with Americana-style shops and restaurants dating back to the early 1900s. The drive from Williams to the Southern Entrance to the Grand Canyon is about 60 miles.

We have a reservation for May 4th through May 6th. Railside RV Ranch & Cabin Resort on 877 E. Rodeo Rd in Williams, AZ is a nice-looking RV park.

The property is next to the Grand Canyon Railway. Established in 1994, Railside RV Ranch is the perfect hub for accessing the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona.

They specialize in arranging many modes of transportation to explore the area. They arrange private guided tours, train trips, air tours and a host of self-guided tours with valuable local information to make the most of your time. They also provide free shuttle to downtown and free continental breakfast each morning.

When we arrived at the campground we opened our slides as normal. Lora discovered a tear in the Linoleum in the bedroom. I looked under the bed and seen the floor had dropped on the right side. We had placed Lora’s wine boxes under the bed and the staples pulled out.

Surprisingly the under bed storage is held by strip board and staples. I removed the under bed floor and took the stripping off. Luckily there is a True Value down the street from the campground. I purchased a new wood strip, wood glue, screws, and brackets. I reinforced the wood supports and replaced the floor board. The repair to the linoleum was simple. I added gorilla tape to the back to stick together the rip. I then added clear gorilla tape on top. We place carpet in front of the bed when we are setup, so the spot is always covered.

We have only one full day in Williams. Our goal is to visit the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon. We head off with Bella Bee early. The entrance fee is $30.00 per car. We used our Inter-agency National Park pass so we got our money’s worth on purchasing the card after this visit.

I thought you would be able to see some spots of the Grand Canyon as you drive up, but that is not the case. Parking at the Southern Rim Visitors Center you do not see the canyon until you walk up to it. It is an amazing site. The size and beauty really is a bucket list item for everyone. The crowds are large and from all over the world. There are many vantage points to view the Grand Canyon at the Visitors Center parking area. Bella Bee done well. When we get close to the edge she does want to stop and pull away. There are trails and fenced area that take you out onto an extended rim. Other areas are unprotected. There are crazy people that sit right on the edge for photos. We stayed at the Visitors Center for about an hour.

We drove east along the rim to a few more overlook parking areas. My cousin Julia from France had text us requesting the family to make a short Anniversary congratulation video for Herve and Cicil. We tried 3 times. I have not figured out how to edit the videos on the phone, so I had to stop the video without moving the phone.

The overall visit to the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon was awesome. We stayed about 2 hours along the rim in all.

We drove back to Williams and dropped Bella Bee off at the camper and headed to Bearizona Wildlife Park. This self-drive-through park features three miles of untamed Arizona wilderness, with black bears, sheep, bison, wolves, deer, elk, goats and more. At the end of the self-drive, Fort Bearizona is a walking exhibit that's home to smaller animals — like bear cubs and wolf pups — plus smaller species of wildlife; most of which are rescue animals, a petting zoo and more.

The day was still early so we headed to downtown Williams. We parked near the train station and walked around.

We ordered takeout dinner from Station 66 Italian Bistro on historic Route 66 in Williams.

While we waited for the food we had drinks at Historic Brewing Barrel & Bottle House. The two restautants are connected. The Bistro menu was better than the Brewing Barrel and Brewing Barrel had a better drink selection, so it worked out nicely.

We headed back to the camper after the food was ready. We had a good fulfilling day visiting the region. We definitely want to visit Flagstaf one day. It is so cool to see a snow-capped mountain. The region has a lot to offer in attractions and the views are amazing.

We are off to Las Vegas tomorrow for a 10 day stay. We have friends coming in from North Carolina and Lora has a periodontist appointment.

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