We are in Holbrook, AZ and have to go to Williams, AZ. This is only a 2 hour trip, but we need to catch up from what we did not do yesterday.
After breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to Petrified Forest National Park. On the way, we stopped at a petrified wood store. We were looking for a petrified wood wind chime Amy had wanted. There were so many beautiful things in this store, but no petrified wood wind chimes. We bought a few things, but decided to check out the park store before buying any of the agate wind chimes they had.
Historic Site #12 - Petrified Forest National Park
We got into the park and went straight to the Rainbow Forest Museum Visitor Center to look around and watch the movie.
We got into the car and drove the 28 mile scenic drive from south to north. We stopped at different overlooks to take in the sights and get some photos, but did not hike the trails. Most of the stops allowed you to see from the overlook or else the trails were over a mile long.
When we got to the north end, we drove the road to see the Painted Desert. We found out that the Painted Desert is not a separate park but rather is considered part of Petrified Forest National Park. The colors were beautiful.
We next went to the Painted Desert Inn National HIstoric Landmark and toured through it and the views from outside. This inn once served as a place for travelers to stop at along historic Route 66.
Finally, we ended up at the Painted Desert Visitor Center. We ate lunch at the little cafe there which had a Route 66 theme. We looked in the park shop and still no wind chimes of any kind. We went ahead and left to head back to Holbrook.
We stopped at several petrified wood places along the way and in Holbrook, but the selection was much better at the original shop. One of the stops was very scary. Pictures will speak volumes. However, the people inside were quite lovely.
Now that we had seen what our options were, we went back to the original shop and did quite a bit of shopping. The pieces of petrified wood were so beautiful it was hard to make choices. When we asked about the petrified wood wind chimes, we were told that the petrified wood was too fragile when it was sliced thin enough to make the wind chimes. So we settled on an agate wind chime for Amy after talking with her and explaining. Our car was carrying a much heavier load.
On the way out of Holbrook, we passed by the Wigwam Motel. This was the one that was featured in the movie, Cars. Outside some of the wigwams were old antique cars to provide the ambiance. Although we wouldn't choose to stay there, there were some cars and motorcycles belonging to guests.
We decided to drive straight to Williams, AZ because it was getting late. We had planned to stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument to see some cliff dwellings, but realized we weren't going to make it in time.
Once we got on the west side of Flagstaff, it started to snow. We had left the Petrified Forest in short sleeves and jeans/shorts. Now it was snowing! The roads were coated and the shoulders of the road had snow covering. Although we were very excited to see snow, Dean had to be careful driving because the road was slippery. It snowed for about 10 miles and then it was over and the sun was out.
One of things we noticed while driving was that when there was an accident ahead and the emergency teams responded, one person took "Accident Ahead" signs in his/her truck and put one on both ends of the road affected.
We got into Williams, AZ and it began to rain. We went to our hotel, the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel. It was quite the place with lots and lots of people. We got there about 5:30 pm and the train arrived about 5:45. We got in the registration line just in time. Our package deal we bought included 2 nights lodging at the hotel, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, a train ride to and from the Grand Canyon, and a motorcoach tour while we were at the canyon.
Once we checked in, we headed to the Grand Depot Cafe for dinner. Both dinners and breakfasts were huge buffets with made to order omelet/pasta stations as well as a great variety of choices. The chef manned the meat carving station himself. One night he sliced sirloin steaks and the next night it was filet mignon. The were cooked to perfection and so tender. We really enjoyed the food while we were there.
We enjoyed the warmth from the fire in the fireplace while we ate. Since it was still raining when we finished, we decided to go back to the room for the evening. We warmed up, checked out the weather forecast for the next day at the Grand Canyon, and went to bed.
