Day 11 – May 29, 2024 – Williams, AZ
Today we headed to the Grand Canyon National Park. We wanted to check things out and get acclimated as we have a bike tour tomorrow and a mule ride in the canyon on Saturday. It’s about a 25-minute drive from our BNB and we left about 7:35 a.m. By the time we parked, it was after 8 and the visitors center was opened so we stopped in there to grab a trail map and ask a couple of questions.
We decided that today would be an easy day so we did most of the Rim Trail that leads from the visitors center. We walked about 6 miles and it’s an easy walk as it is paved the entire way. It gives you multiple scenic views of the canyon, and pictures just don’t do it justice. It truly is amazing!
We spent almost 3 hours walking then headed back to the car and went to one of the other parking lots that’s closer to where we want to pick up the Bright Angel Trailhead on Friday. This trail takes you down into the canyon and is 12 miles round trip. We will not be doing the whole trail as it is advised not to with the heat. We headed to the outdoor beer garden, grabbed a cold beer and people watched then went to find something to eat. We are VERY disappointed in the food choices at the GC. With all the tourists that come daily, there is nothing good, in our opinion. We ended leaving the park and found the rinky dink restaurant called Yippee-EI-O Steakhouse in the GC village. We split the ½ rack of ribs and grilled chicken platter. It came with a side salad drenched in ranch dressing, baked potato, a soggy ear of corn, and a pot of baked beans. It wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t what we were after. We then went next door to the General Store to grab a few things, but that too was a disappointment. We didn’t feel like spending almost 2 hours driving to downtown Williams to the Safeway and back, so we made do. We ate so late we decided to just have some snacks for dinner and enjoyed some time out on the porch enjoying the breeze and the views.
Tomorrow is our bike ride at the GC, so we need to get an early start as it starts at 9. When we are done, we plan to hit the food truck for some hot dogs for lunch, lol! Nite all!
