Sunday, July 20, 2014

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.)

233 N. Grand Canyon Blvd
Williams, AZ 86046
United States
Phone: +1 928 635 4253
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
 
 

8 comments:

Mae Travels said...

I continue to enjoy your experiences and compare them to my own trip along the same route this spring. We spent two nights at the Grand Canyon, so we watched the effects of daylight and evening light on the canyon very closely, also sharing the space with the many elks around the canyon.

Emily said...

Oh my goodness! So incredibly gorgeous. What an amazing view! I would love to visit the grand canyon someday.

Johanna GGG said...

That set of photos of the grand canyon at sunrise are amazing and the route 66 travel is really interesting - I particularly like seeing tim with smokey the bear - I think I must have had a book with him in it as a child and he made quite an impression on me - and that snow cap car does look crazy - what a great trip

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

That's a good tip about staying overnight to see sunset and sunrise. And I think I can see the person's face! :D

The Caked Crusader said...

I see the face in the rock - I see it!!!!!

yummychunklet said...

Gorgeous photos!

Kari said...

I'm glad your sunrise at the Grand Canyon was clear - what amazing views, and I am sure it was worth the early start! Well done on your bus capture of the dam too :)

Kayte said...

Photos from this post are fabulous, I love you standing at the Grand Canyon and morning photos of it are so nice, I don't think I have actually seen morning photos of it before. Hoover Dam shot is also fabulous, and look at all the fun you had between! This part of the trip has to be one of your favorites!