After a four hour drive from Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, we arrived at Williams, Arizona and Railside RV Park. The drive was uneventful, but the roads (primarily Highway 40) were pretty bad and in need of repair. My brother Jeff Dickey and his wife, Cherekee, followed us in their pickup and joined us for the stay at Williams. If has been great fun having Jeff and Cherekee with us. Tamarra at the Railside RV Park is super-nice and very hospitable. They have games, a spa, and a free breakfast every morning; pretty nice. The RV park near the train depot wanted $72 a night to stay there while here we are paying $42 per night and it is working great.

After setting up the camper, we went into Williams to explore the town and get some food. Williams is the Gateway to the Grand Canyon and a major community on the historic Route 66. Very "touristy," but fun with all of the old cars from the 1950s and 60s. We checked out a couple stores and then went to a very nice dinner at "The Red Raven" restaurant. The food was great and the the atmosphere was nice too.

Tuesday, October 22 - Today we went to breakfast at the RV park before departing for the Grand Canyon. The food was pretty good with waffles, boiled eggs, cereals, and coffee. Helped us get the day started before we departed for the Grand Canyon. What a beautiful day for our trip to the Grand Canyon; no wind, warm, and sunny with great visibility. This made for great pictures of the Grand Canyon with no haze or smog.

The Grand Canyon was awesome; such a nice day to visit the park and not too crowded. We arrived at the South Rim and decided to walk the pave trail along the rim. We walked all the way to the Geologic Museum and took tons of photos along the way. It was also fun to watch the tourists along the way. After leaving the museum, we went to the commercial area of the park and had lunch in a very nice area with tables. We had brought a picnic lunch. After lunch we drove to the start of the Bright Angel Trail. This is a trail that goes all the way down to the river and even up the other side. It crosses the river on a 240 foot long suspension bridge that can handle mule trains too. We all hiked a little ways down the trail to see what it was like. We passed through a small tunnel and then walked the trail that hugged the cliff-side; it was about five feet wide. It was a myriad of switchbacks that descended the steep cliffs down to the Colorado River. After a fairly short distance, we went back up the trail to the top. This is an amazing trail that would be great fun to take all the way to the bottom and back. We talked to two hikers with backpacks who had just climbed to the top in about six hours. Amazing. After leaving the trail, we hiked back to the truck and left the park for Williams. Check out the photos and plan to make a trip to the Grand Canyon at some time in your life; it will be well worth it! After arriving back at the RV, we decided to go to Williams and do a little shopping and then we had a nice pizza for dinner. This was a really great day.

Wednesday, October 23rd - We went to breakfast here at the RV park and then began the drive to Flagstaff, Arizona. Lisa's company has just been bought out by another company and they have required that all employees take a drug test: so that is what she did!! After Lisa's adventure, we drove up to Snow Bowl which is a ski resort just north of town on the San Francisco range of mountains. They have a ski-lift that will take you to the top of Mt. Agassiz (and back down) where the view is pretty amazing. Lisa and Jeft decided to relax at the ski lodge where we had just had lunch (much warmer) and wait for Cherekee and me to go to the top. The lift was running at about half speed, so it was a long lift ride. We boarded the lift at the 7,000 foot level (50 degrees Fahrenheit) and climbed to 11, 700 fee (40 degrees Fahrenheit). Pretty chilly ride, but a clear day with good visibility. They even boast having the highest bathroom in the state of Arizona. It was a fun trip and very beautiful. After we returned to the bottom of the lift, we began the drive back to Williams and our RV. The plan is to watch the second game of the world series tonight.

Thursday, October 24th - We leave today for Yuma, Arizona. Jeff and Cherekee will be heading to Phoeniz, Arizona where they will visit with a friend until Saturday morning. They will then head for Yuma where we will meet up with them and drive behind them to San Felipe, Mexico for a weeks stay at their home there.