Ever since I was a child (Ken, too), I dreamed of seeing the Grand Canyon. Perhaps it was the Grand Canyon Suite or the many pictures and movies that I’ve seen of it, or stories I’ve read about how it makes you feel. After all, it is one of the “seven wonders of the world”. It has been on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. All I can say now is that after seeing it live, it did not disappoint!

We wanted to stay in a full service campground, which meant staying in the cute western town of Williams on Route 66 (where you can get your gitch) at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort and Hotel. It’s a total of a one hour drive to the Grand Canyon Visitor’s Center. We were fortunate to be here just before the busy season begins so we didn’t have to fight crowds, but we did have to deal with some pretty cold weather, especially after the desert heat which we became accustomed to. It’s all about elevation and Williams is just about the same elevation as the Grand Canyon at about 7,000 ft. We had two nights well below freezing and one night with snow accumulation! But, the day warmed up nicely with only light jackets needed.
Here’s a slide show of downtown Williams:

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We spent two full days at the Canyon. The first day was spent learning everything we could, and we were there quite a long time. The second day was planned to arrive there later in the day so we can get sunset photos. Both times, parking in the park was easy. Ken took the Ooh Aah Point hike (the easiest) down and back up.

Both days we brought a picnic lunch or dinner. We also used the free shuttles extensively while leaving our car parked at the Visitor Center near the Shuttle Hub. While Ken was hiking, I explored the stops on the shuttle bus.

The photos below were taken during normal daytime.

A slide show from various viewing points on our first day:

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A photo showing the Colorado River 5,000 ft. below:

Ken enjoying the park!

Sunset Photos

Returning the next day so we could capture the sun setting in the canyon, I captured many photos which were all taken at Mather Point. This is considered the best place for the sunset photos. I was surprised at how uncrowded it was. I’m hoping you will notice many of the photos below are of the same angle and subject as some of those above and you will be able to enjoy how different the light makes them appear. It’s magical and spellbinding.

I hope that these photos helped to make you feel a little bit as “high” as I felt when looking at this wondrous place. America is so gosh darn beautiful! This is just one place among many that we have and will visit in the weeks and months ahead.