Adventure at the Grand Canyon and surrounding area.

The list of places we want to visit is very long but, little by little we have been checking out some of them. House sitting has been playing an important roll to make our travel adventures come true, and this is how we were able to explore The Grand Canyon and surrounding area.
After finishing house sitting in San Diego, CA we drove to Williams, AZ to take care of three kitties and a doggy.

Williams, AZ is a small town nestled in the middle of the forest, that's why this charming place is a good location to explore the wildlife, enjoy the outdoors and it's the perfect stop to have a good breakfast before heading to The Grand Canyon. 
The historical route 66 goes through this western village so the atmosphere brings you back in time, and seeing the cowboys swaggering around gives it the feeling of being in a western movie.

If you're looking to get in touch with nature and have a break from the hectic city, escape to Williams for a few days; there are plenty of hotels in town where you can have a comfortable stay and many places close by to keep you occupied.
BEARIZONA is a park located about five minutes outside of Williams, this place offers a drive-thru wildlife adventure so you can have an exciting time seeing black bears, wolves, bison, bighorn sheep and many other animals in their natural habitat; at the end of this ride, park your car and have a stroll around the Fort Bearizona Park and enjoy the tranquility of this place by having a picnic with friends and family.

 Another way of spending a day out and enjoy the wonders of mother nature, is by visiting the Sunset Crater National Park; this place is outside of Flagstaff, AZ which is about 40 miles from Williams. There is a loop that goes for about thirty miles, taking you through the mountains with beautiful pine trees; we made a few stops to appreciate the amazing views of the valley and we learned some of the history about the eruption of the Sunset Crater that happened around A.D. 1085.
As we drove along the loop, we stopped at Wukoki which is an impressive ruin of aboriginal masonry; this rock castle has been exposed to the elements for around 800 years but, stands still as a tribute to the Puebloan ancestors who paused to farm here during the 1100's.
Our last stop was at Wupatki Pueblo, this village may have been very monumental for travelers of 800 years ago as it is to us now in days... We had a great time exploring this area!

As I said before, Williams, AZ is the perfect town to stop before you go to The Grand Canyon... We wanted to make this little adventure very memorable so we decided to take the train from Williams to the majestic Grand Canyon. The train station is right in town, making trips every single day departing at 9:30 am and returning at 3:30 pm. 

We had a delicious breakfast at the Pine Country restaurant before starting our adventure, there's a saying in Spanish my grandma used to say all the time after we had our meals "Pansa llena, corazon contento" ("Full stomach, content heart"). 

The train departed and the excitement begun! We had a fun, relaxing and informative 2:30 hrs ride, going thru low and high dessert; I was so relaxed that I was able to take a siesta along the way... I guess I was just saving my energies for all the hiking we would be doing later.

The train stop is only a few steps from the Grand Canyon which makes it very convenient, specially for those who want to avoid the hassle of driving and having to find a parking space.
We started climbing and as we made it to the top, I was amazed with such a beautiful view! This place is just magical, and looking at it made me realize that I am so lucky to be alive so I can have these experiences.
We had a nice hike on the upper ring for about six miles, and the views were breath taking as we walked around. We stopped at some point to have a snack, we just sat there and enjoyed our granola bars at this majestic place.
Our return to town was at 3:30 so it gave us plenty of time to explore the area, and even to have a bite at one of the restaurants before our departure. 

This is how we spent our week house sitting in Williams, and I honestly have to say that I didn't think we were going to have so much fun... Safe travels my friends!