The landscape changed a bit from Seligman to Williams. There are more trees, pine trees to be exact. This means that the campground has more shade. It is much bigger than the last one. We could walk about a mile if we went around the whole perimeter. This KOA has a huge playground for the kids and another huge one for the dogs. It’s all gravel and dirt, but still, there is just more space here. We arrived on Friday night so there were lots of families here. Lots of kids, riding bikes and motorized gocarts, jumping on trampolines, swinging on the swingset all day long, chasing each other around the race track. Very kid-friendly. It is nice to see so much youthful activity after being in the “KOA for overnighters and lost souls” that we just left. What a relief. No worries. I feel it coming back to me…
This morning we checked the dogs into a doggie day care, ate breakfast at a cute little western themed café in Williams, AZ,
The old courthouse, Williams, AZ
outside the cafe where we ate breakfast
and finally went to the Grand Canyon.
beauty as far as the eye can see
Unbelievable. Breathtaking. Mind expanding. So big and so deep that no photographer will ever capture it completely. And we just saw the south rim, one-fourth of the whole thing. Between me and Sam we took over a hundred pictures. The visibility wasn’t great but we have some images to remind ourselves of the impossible grandeur. I am at a loss for words, since there really are no words to describe it. You have to see it. You have to feel the hugeness of it all. You have to get that shaky feeling in your legs when you walk down the short trail to the platform before you really understand why it’s called the “Grand” Canyon. There is a history and a spirit there that transcends anything we have done or thought in the last 2 million years.
In my next post I will put as many photos as I can to show the complexity of this place, but, as I said, no photographer will ever truly capture it.
Yesterday, after we drove back to Kingman, 75 miles one way, to get the right hose for the radiator, we decided to call a mobile mechanic. He was busy of course, so we waited another day. He arrived at our RV at about 9:00 pm, and took about 30 minutes to complete the hose installation, charged us $86. and was gone. Easy. So easy, in fact, that I couldn’t believe it. But it worked. Today when we drove to Williams we had no problems at all. NO PROBLEMS. Maybe we can go back to the “No Worries” theme we had on our last trip. It was so nice to leave that strange little KOA on the side of the railroad tracks in an almost dead Route 66 town. It was charming for the first day but after that was just a place to be until our problems were solved.
Seligman KOA at sunset
*****
We arrived in Williams, AZ at 11:00, checked in, got everything settled and decided to drive to Flagstaff just to check it out. Again, it was a good thing we did. We had planned to stay there for a couple of days but it turned out to be quite a chaotic little place. Cars everywhere, people everywhere, aggressive drivers, what looked like stalled construction in many places, and the KOA was way too crowded. So we came back to the RV and looked at the map, checked out a couple more places like Gallup and Tucumcari, NM and but didn’t find campgrounds that had enough amenities. So we are back to the original plan which is to go toAlbuquerqueon Sunday. But I’m skipping a very important day: Grand Canyon day.
I took a video of a train this morning. I will post it on my facebook page if you are interested. This train is going v-e-r-y slowly, much more slowly than most of the other trains that rush by all day long here. The video goes on for four minutes and is very boring, but it definitely represents the mood here–slow and determined.
Here’s a picture in any case.
The view from our campsite, all day long, every half hour or so. Trains, trains and more trains.
“We’re getting close!” This phrase has become somewhat of a joke between me and Sam these last few days. Every day there seems to be another challenge. Yesterday we found out that the “professionals” ordered the wrong radiator hose. So we started over again. The right hose came in this morning on an overnight flight from somewhere in Tennessee. That in itself is amazing, considering everything that could go wrong. So, right now, 9:00 p.m., there is a “mobile mechanic” setting up his flood light and doing his thing underneath the RV. At this point I can only hope. I have no expectations, just hope.
Meanwhile, yesterday we decided to drive our car to the next town, Williams, AZ, where we have been trying to get to for the past week. We were scheduled to stay there and ride a train to the Grand Canyon. Well, it’s a good thing we took this preview trip. The RV park was just a large parking lot with RV’s lined up as far as you could see, and the train looked very uncomfortable. So, given the recent “signs” we cancelled the whole thing.
Here is a picture of another cute Route 66 diner we saw in Williams. It is a very picturesque town, but we’ll save the rest for later.
This place had live music, a huge bbq outside and lots of happy customers.
Once this bus is fixed again we are going to head over those hills toward Williams, but this time we will stay at the KOA, which is in a nice little wooded area and has a pool and hot tub and a place for the dogs to run loose. We WILL go to the Grand Canyon, but on our own, in our car and when we are ready. This is the hope tonight anyway.
I keep saying that it’s a good thing we built in some extra time…just in case…because there’s always something to make you slow down.
We’ve been driving alongside the old Route 66 since we left California, but it looks pretty narrow and bumpy so we haven’t tried to drive on it yet. Lo and behold, here we are, camping out right beside the famous “Mother Road.”
So, as I followed the tow truck into Seligman last night I noticed that the town was pretty cute, in an old broke-down western town sort of way. It is obviously a tourist attraction with Route 66 signs all over, and buildings painted in bright colors and creaky wooden floors inside. It was a feast for the eyes given the desolate place we just came from. I made a note to come back and take photos.
This morning we asked the KOA manager which restaurant was the best one for breakfast. She said, “The one with the most cars.” Hmmm. Well, it wasn’t too hard to figure it out. We ate at a place called Lila’s, even though there was a place across the street called “Road Kill Café.” Lila’s had a full parking lot. Road Kill had only two cars. The food was great—real potatoes and eggs and pancakes and they had all kinds of Swedish pastries, which we didn’t even think about trying. The place was very cute inside and the people were so nice and peppy.
Lila’s
Since we are now waiting for the hose for the radiator to come in we had a little time to “waste.” We took lots of pictures which I have posted on my facebook page, but I’ll put a few here too.
I think this means they don’t serve live chickens.
Elvis and friends on Route 66
This hotel had a sign that said it was run by people from Sweden. ??? We didn’t ask.
Harley Heaven
This is where they put you if you spit on the sidewalk…wait, there are no sidewalks!
Motorcycles up a flag-painted pole. I guess you have to use your imagination a lot out here.
That’s all for now. We’re going exploring while we wait for that elusive hose that will get this motorhome on the road again. Good thing we have our tow car.
This is what the ground looks like here. It’s very crunchy.
Another fine desert scene for me to burn into my brain. It’s OK though. I’m getting used to it. The heat feels good to my bones and joints and I don’t have to use my hair dryer in the morning any more…oh yeah, getting off the subject….
When we saw the copious amounts of anti freeze and water shooting out of the hose just beneath our bed, we decided it was time to call someone…again.
What’s left of the antifreeze that poured out just five mintues earlier.
Since we were truly stranded on the side of the road in the desert this time, we called our insurance. After an hour or so on the phone, they arranged for a tow truck. We sat on the side of the road, in a safe place, looking at scrub brush and sand for four hours. Finally the monster tow truck arrived. Then it took two hours for him to get the RV hooked up. He towed us to the next KOA in Seligman, AZ. Then it took him another two hours to unhook it. What a process.
There’s a great irony in all of this: The tow truck came from the very repair shop we just left back in Kingman. It is the only one that can do this sort of job. And that same repair shop is the only one that can get the hose we will need to fix this new problem. Seventy five miles away.
OK. Are the gods playing games with us? Or testing us? Whatever. I say, “Bring it on!”
We ordered the part, arranged to drive the car back tomorrow to pick it up, lined up a mobile mechanic here in Seligman to install it and sat back on our couch, wondering if we will ever see the Grand Canyon. Hero’s journeys are like this–trial after trial, with just enough bliss thrown in to keep us motivated. Then one day you simply arrive, and begin again.
So, here’s the trajectory: Last Friday the RV started overheating, a lot. It had actually been indicating that it was overheating but we didn’t believe it since we had recently replaced the radiator and the over flow tank. We thought there was something wrong with the sensor, so we just babied it for a while. But it got worse. So we decided to stop and get it fixed.
The next day, Saturday, June 9th, we brought it to a place that said they had 40 years experience with RV’s. Sounded good so we trusted them. They found a hose that was spilling oil into the radiator, replaced that hose, cleaned the area thoroughly, pulled out the air filter which was clogged with all kinds of weird stuff as if it had never been changed, then replaced that and sent us on our way. Not fixed. It over heated within five miles. We went back to the campground and called a different repair shop. This one specialized in big rigs. They said they could fit us in on Monday. So we took Sunday off and anticipated leaving on Monday afternoon.
Monday, June 11th, these “heavy duty” mechanics used their sophisticated equipment to diagnose the problem and then fix it. A faulty thermostat. Like the air filter, it was old and over-used. We thanked them, had lunch and drove away. Seventy-five miles later a different buzzer went off. This time it said there was low water. A major hose had burst because of the extra pressure from the new thermostat doing its job properly.
We sat in a safe spot off the highway near this sign from 3:00 till 7:30.
Stalled again. I almost took a hike into the woods to scream a bit, but decided it was just too hot.
With every journey comes challenges. It seems our cooling system needs a complete over haul. Still haven’t made it to the Grand Canyon. But we are close….
We spent three hours at the repair shop on Saturday, found three possible reasons for the engine to overheat, had them fixed, paid the shop $500. and left feeling like we might actually make it to the Grand Canyon after all. We started driving east over the mountains and as soon as we hit the first hill the red light started blinking and the buzzer went off. Both of us immediately said the same thing, “We need to go back.”
So, we checked back into the campground and took advantage of the “extra” time. I did laundry, cleaned the RV up a bit, got some groceries and today made some green beans and potatoes and homemade “health nut” bread. I also made carrot juice this morning, something I have been trying to do since we left but haven’t had the time for. It has been a quiet and healthy day so far.
Tomorrow we will go to a different repair shop and buy a new sensor which Sam will install and hopefully we will be on our way. Maybe before this next week is out I will be able to post a few photos of me in the Grand Canyon.
In the meantime, here are a few photos I have been wanting to post, not related to the overheated RV.
The first three photos are from the KOA in Barstow, CA.
early morning moon shot
We got up at 5:30 and the sun was blazing as if it was already 9:30. What a magical place to be in the morning.
morning shadows
The sand here is just like the sand on the beach. If you saw a picture of it without the horizon in the background you wouldn’t know it was a desert. The dogs are getting used to doing their business on a solid surface rather than in the lush green grass of a wetter climate.
Shadows on the sand
This is me and Sam and our three dogs, at least, it’s our shadows.
On the way out of California we stopped at this diner called “Peggy Sue’s.” apparantly she was in show business and had quite a collection of memorabilia which she put into her very large restaurant. These are just three of the many photos we took at Peggy Sue’s.
The next photos are from the KOA in Kingman, AZ
moon and white flowers, kingman, az
As the moon wanes it also appears in the sky a bit later each day. I think this one was taken at around 8:00 am. Just a few hours after this next photo of the sunrise.
sunrise in Kingman, AZ
If you haven’t figured it out, Sam is the early bird in our family. He took this photo at around 5:30 in the morning a couple of days ago.
Hopefully the next post will be filled with photos and thoughts from the Grand Canyon….we can only hope.
on the road to simplicity 