A timelapse of driving the coach 189 miles from Williams, Arizona to Boulder City, Nevada.
Author: David
Travel from Williams, AZ to Lake Mead, Boulder City, NV
We drove our coach 183 miles, 3.5 hours non-stop, from Williams, Arizona to Lake Mead, Boulder City, Nevada.
Here’s the map, going right to left (or heading west, if you prefer):
Maybe someone didn’t like their dog? Devil Dog Road:
A view heading downhill:
A truck clipped our mirror, crossing the center line. Doesn’t seemed to have done more than scrape it, but it was rather disconcerting:
Based on the their trailer, they may not be the best driver:
Paladin not looking impressed by a rough stretch of road:
I put him on my lap for a bit:
Passing a motorhome; hey fellow traveller:
This was a non-stop trip, so we had a lunch of chips and a sandwich while driving:
Interesting rocks:
Another motorhome (a Thor Aria was one model we considered when shopping for an RV; Thor isn’t the best brand, but the Aria isn’t bad):
More interesting rocks:
Steep uphill:
Travel trailer delivery:
A pickup with a camper, towing an interesting trailer; I’m guessing a contractor:
Approaching the exit from I-40:
Yet more interesting rocks:
Our exit:
A view (and yes, our windshield was getting rather dirty, from lots of bugs):
We encountered a motorcycle accident; the rider was on the ground, attended by several people. I hope they’re okay, but it didn’t look good:
Paladin peeking:
Last stop in Arizona:
Info sign:
Hey look, more interesting rocks:
Hilltop view:
Approaching Hoover Dam:
A glimpse of Hoover Dam from the center lane of the bridge next to the dam (when Jenn later saw the bridge from the dam, she said she was very glad she didn’t know how high it was when driving over it!):
Entering Nevada:
Our exit:
View of Lake Mead:
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entry station:
Jenn going to the RV park office to check in:
Following a guide to our site:
The timelapse video from this trip will be coming later today, and our review of the RV park tomorrow.
Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki National Monuments
We took a day trip to three national monuments east and north of Flagstaff, Arizona: Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki National Monuments:
Starting with Walnut Canyon National Monument, with cliff dwellings:
Visitor center video:
Model:
Walnut Canyon path:
Walnut Canyon:
Then the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument:
Lava field:
Lizard:
Lastly, Wupatki National Monument, with pueblo communities:
The Wukoki house was our favorite part of all three parks:
Very windy:
Visitor center:
Wupatki pueblo:
In our travels, we encountered lots of tumbleweeds:
Route 66 around Seligman, AZ
Williams isn’t the only town celebrating the history of Route 66 (or stuck in the past?). We took a drive along one of the longest drivable portions of Route 66, from Willams (actually on I-40 until just after Ash Fork) to Kingman, Arizona, with a stop for lunch at the Roadkill Cafe in Seligman. A 129 mile trip, plus a faster 114 miles return via I-40.
Here’s a map showing Williams on the right, and Kingman on the left:
The equivalent satellite view:
The portion of Route 66 between Ash Fork and Seligman were the best; after that, the road was much like any highway, resurfaced and recently painted. So in retrospect, we could have skipped that longer portion. But hey, at least we can say we’ve done it. Apparently this is the longest section of the original Route 66, too.
A useful reference site for driving Route 66. And another one.
Here’s Jenn with Route 66 sign, at the start of the portion after Ash Fork:
Driving Route 66:
There were several series of dark-humor Burma-Shave signs along the highway:
Seligman, AZ:
We stopped at the Roadkill Cafe for lunch:
A very interesting menu:
Jenn had the Fungi Burger, I had the Swirl of Squirrel:
Route 66 sodas:
Back on the road, more of Seligman, AZ:
Continuing along Route 66:
Grand Canyon National Park at sunset
Having done a guided tour of the Grand Canyon by train and bus, we visited it again a couple of days later in our truck; just an hour drive from the campground. This time, we went later in the day, to catch the sunset.
Here’s the canyon from the South Rim Village area:
The Hopi House, an Indian gift store:
The El Tovar hotel:
Views of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point, near the Visitor Center:
Several miles further east, the Desert View Watchtower and viewpoint:
Heading back west, from Navajo Point (with a glimpse of the Watchtower):
From Lipan Point:
Back at Mather Point for the sunset, and some nice alpenglow:
A magical experience.
Safe T Plus and Koni shocks
A while back I mentioned that we got some enhancements while at NIRVC. A couple of those were the addition of the Safe T Plus steering control system, and Koni shocks.
The Safe T Plus steering control system is a cylinder that mounts between the frame of the RV and the steering mechanism, to help smooth out wobbles in the steering due to wind and such, and help with control in the event of a tire blowout.
Our coach has independent front suspension using air bags, which gives a pretty smooth ride, but could be a bit bouncy on rough roads. The Koni shocks help to reduce that bounciness.
Here are some pictures looking under our coach; the yellow tube is the Safe T Plus, and the two red tubes are the Koni shocks:
Petrified Forest National Park
We visited another national park: the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona:
The park consists of two sections joined by a narrow portion; in the north are painted hills, and the south has petrified trees. Click the map to go to the NPS map page:
The northern visitor center was being renovated, so they had a temporary one set up:
Jenn peeking over a stand, with clocks showing Arizona time (which doesn’t observe Daylight Savings time), Navajo Nation time, New Mexico time, and California time:
Jenn bought and stamped a National Parks passport as another keepsake of our park visits. Though later decided to switch to a larger one:
A cafe and gift store:
More clocks and other decorations:
As mentioned, the north part of the park has desert painted hills:
The Painted Desert Inn used to have food and accommodations back in the 1920s, but is now a museum:
More painted hills:
Where a discontinued part of the famous Route 66 crosses the park, there is a rusted 1932 Studebaker (the only national park that includes part of Route 66):
Rocks:
Petroglyphs:
More painted hills:
A petrified log:
An interesting trailer in a parking lot:
A random structure; nothing inside, so kinda just a fancy arch:
A petrified log bridging a canyon, supported by old concrete:
Painted hills:
Petrified logs:
An amusing sign:
Petrified logs:
The southern visitor center and museum:
Petrified logs behind the visitor center:
Having visited the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Parks, we added a couple more stickers to our coach:
Grand Canyon Railway and National Park
While staying at the Grand Canyon Railway RV park, and the reason for staying there, we took the train to the Grand Canyon.
This was a special wedding anniversary treat for us; we did the train trip on a day when they used the historic steam train, and went to the park in the Luxury Dome train car, did a bus guided tour, and returned in the Luxury Parlor train car.
Before boarding the train, there was a little cowboy show:
All aboard! Here’s the Luxury Dome train car; a double-decker car, with a lounge below and a full-length dome above:
After that car, at the end of the train, was the Luxury Parlor car, where we boarded:
Us in our seat in the dome car; the TSA was still requiring masks except when eating and drinking:
The Luxury Dome car, built in 1955:
Each car had a Passenger Service Attendant:
A glimpse of the front of the train out the dome window (don’t worry, better pics later):
Snacks and beverages:
The train newspaper:
A photographer took some pictures:
Here are a couple official photographs of us, in the dome and on the rear platform:
The Luxury Dome car was only about half full:
I walked the length of the train, starting from the rear platform:
The Luxury Parlor car, built in 1947:
Passage between cars, with the steps to the Luxury Dome visible:
The lower floor of the Luxury Dome car:
One of the Observation Dome cars; they have smaller domes:
The dining car:
The historic 1923 Pullman car:
A Coach car:
Singer:
Looking over the train from the frontmost observation dome:
Arriving at Grand Canyon village:
Tour bus:
On board the bus:
Ranger operations building:
A bunch of pictures of the Grand Canyon:
Lunch was included in the bus tour; it was supposed to be a buffet, but in these COVID times, it was instead a sack lunch:
Jenn found a hat in the gift store:
More angles of the big hole in the ground:
When we tipped the bus driver/guide, she gave us a snowy canyon pic she had taken:
Back at the train station in the park, I got some pictures of the 1923 steam train engine:
An assist from a diesel engine:
The power car:
Coach cars:
The rear of the train, with observation dome cars, the Luxury Dome car, and the Luxury Parlor car:
The rear platform of the Luxury Parlor car:
Champagne toasts in the Luxury Parlor car:
The conductor making a PA announcement:
Snacks:
Singers:
On the rear platform:
View from the rear platform:
The cowboys stopped the train:
Cowboy train robbery:
The sheriff going after the robbers:
Lastly, an official photo of the steam train engine:
This was a fun way to spend our anniversary, and quite the experience. Highly recommended.
Route 66 in Williams, AZ
Williams, Arizona is on the famous Route 66, and claims the distinction of being the last town bypassed by the I-40 freeway. It really embraces the Route 66 nostalgia. While staying there, we explored the town, and enjoyed several Route 66-themed restaurants.
An old Dairy Queen restaurant, that only opens seasonally:
Motel:
Route 66 sign:
Williams sign:
Mural:
Mountain Man Mercantile:
Old garage:
Motor hotel:
Bear:
Cocktails:
Mural:
Gift shops:
Mural:
Gas station museum:
We had dinner at Cruiser’s Cafe 66:
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And breakfast for lunch at Pine Country Restaurant:
Driving through Williams at night:
Dinner at the Route 66 Diner:
The best of Route 66:
3-stage water filter
Our coach has a water filter in the wet bay, to help ensure clean water:
We recently changed the filter while sanitizing the water systems; here’s the dirty one and a clean one:
That was actually the wrong filter, so I got the correct one:
For drinking water, one filter doesn’t really cut it with some campground water supplies, though. So I purchased a Clearsource Ultra three-stage water filter system, with a 5 micron rust filter, a 0.5 micron bacteria filter, and a virus-guard filter:
Our coach now has five filters between the water supply and our fridge water dispenser: those three, the aforementioned built-in filter, and the filter in the fridge.
I also bought a potable water hose to go between the tap and filters.
When first hooking up the hose and filter, I flushed them out by draining directly into the sewer:
Then hooked them up to our coach:
Ideally I’d like internally-mounted filters, and perhaps a water softener. One day I might arrange that, using the small bay on the other side of the coach. But for now, I’ll deal with the external filter unit; just another part of setting up at a site. Worth it for cleaner-tasting water.