Sunrise over the Grand Canyon; Williams and Seligman AZ; Hoover Dam

 

Having the luxury of staying overnight at the Grand Canyon meant that we could be there for sunset and sunrise, which we were informed could be spectacular because of the different light and shade that the Canyon takes on with the movement of the sun's rays.  Unfortunately, sunset was a bust, because it was an overcast evening.  This meant that we had to rise early the next day (around 5.30am at the time of year that we were there) in the chilly weather to see the sunrise.

The top shot is of the Canyon as the sun was just starting to rise.  There is nothing much to see at that stage.  Following are a series of shots of the Canyon as the sun rises slowly in the sky, demonstrating the different hues that the Canyon takes on with the differing exposure to light:

After the sun rose, we went for a well deserved breakfast.  Just outside the breakfast area, we spied an elk enjoying her breakfast (there were actually two, but this one was closest):

We then packed up our cabins and drove on for a final look at the Grand Canyon, this time from Mather Point:

Can you see the face of the person in the rock face below?

 

On leaving the Canyon, we headed for Williams, Arizona, which was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by the new freeway:

At the Williams visitor centre, Tim found a new friend in the form of Smokey the Bear:

Downtown Williams features lots of old style buildings and cool street art.  This old-style diner is one of them:

 

and features this Route 66 mural on the outside wall:

The Grand Canyon Railway has a depot in Williams:

Isn't this steam engine one of the most handsome pieces of machinery you have seen?

From Williams, we moved on to Seligman.  The revival of interest in Route 66 is credited to Angel Delgadillo, a Seligman barber known as the guardian angel of Route 66, who campaigned with a group of like-minded folk to have signage placed along the old Route 66.  Here is Angel's barber shop, where Angel still pops in every day:

Unfortunately, we missed Angel on the day that we visited, but here is Tim trying out his barber's chair:

Angel's late brother, Juan, used to run Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In:  

and drove this crazy car to attract customers: 

Juan was very much a local celebrity in his own right, although from the video that we saw, I think I would have gone nuts trying to buy anything from him.

On the way to our final destination for the day, Las Vegas, we passed the Hoover Dam:

I am very proud of this shot, despite the bus window frame, as there is only a very narrow opportunity to see the dam from the road, as it has been fenced off to avoid gawkers causing traffic accidents.  (I was a bus passenger, so no-one was harmed in taking this photograph.)

Grand Canyon Railway

233 N. Grand Canyon Blvd

Williams, AZ 86046

United States

Phone: +1 928 635 4253

Angel & Vilma Delgadillo's Route 66 Gift Shop & Visitor's Center
217 East Route 66

Seligman, AZ 86337

United States

Ph: +1 928 422 3352

 

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

301 Arizona 66

Seligman, AZ 86337

United States
Ph: +1 928 422 3291