Small towns with big hearts

During our travels we were fortunate to go through some small towns and 3 of the towns that really caught my heart were Williams in Arizona, Jerome, Arizona and Grapevine in TX.

Lets start with Williams in Arizona, from what I have read this was one the last towns to get bypassed by the new highway that replaced the infamous Route 66.

Upon arriving we noticed town folks walking the street in the Pj's and after we set up camp at the Grand Canyon Railway RV park and Resort. We had to go into town to see what all the fuss was all about. Well we didn't believe our eyes. The holiday spirit in this town was second to none. They actually have The Polar Express for the kids to ride all the way to the north pole. Well not quite but close!

The main street was decorated and even though it was still November, they had the Christmas spirit in full swing. In this town you will find the most awesome little boutique shops and restaurants.

 Just one of the Kennelly Family establishments

 They even offer great beer from local micro breweries!

The resort we stayed at was amazing! Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel, Don't get me wrong I'm not a big fan of the open parking lot style Rv park, but this stay it serves the purpose and the Hotel part makes up for the lack of the RV park charm. About 1 hour away from the actual grand canyon, this spot could be used as central location to go see many attractions.

The Next town we visited was Jerome, AZ. This town was once a great mining town and has kept many of its old town charm. After perusing the gift shops and such, we decided to stop for lunch and boy were we glad we did.

How did we choose the restaurant to eat at, you ask? well it was not that hard the owner has done a great job at making the smell of his smokers linger throughout the small town. We stopped in to Bobby D'S bbq house Bobby D's BBQ They offered 4 different Bbq sauces and of course i had to try a little bit of everything. So as we left we gave our salutes to the Chef and left with a full belly!

Jerome is definitely worth the drive up to, as long as you don't mind driving cliff side!!!

And Lastly we ended up driving to the small town of Grapevine in Texas. Although larger then the first and second town. The main street of this town has been kept in a similar state or as original as possible state to its beginning.

When we arrived in Grapevine, we immediately felt welcome. This town had all of their Christmas decorations up and in full operation, also offering a ride to the North Polar Via the Polar express. this town is nothing short of spectacular. From the shops to the restaurants again this town does not disappoint. And yes if you have already guessed it, a town being named Grapevine has many wine tasting shops! Grapevine Texas

As for the Rv park we chose this time, we happened to stumble upon another Gem! The Vineyards Campground and Cabins Situated next to Grapevine lake, this Rv Park offers a true country feel minutes from the town. With large RV sites that can accommodate most big rigs, this park is clean spacious and very well kept! And if you have a boat there is a marina just across the channel.

Thanks again for following our adventures and stay tuned for our next post!

CamelBack Mountain Hike

Just before leaving Phoenix to head to Havasu Lake, we decided to hike Camelback mountain. At the high point Camelback sits just over 2700', what is great about this hike is that it has some technical aspects and some of the crossings over the spine, offer some most spectacular views. See this short video. Summit of CamelBack

Cholla Trail is slightly easier then Echo trail, but both offer a very god challenge. Cholla is approx 1.5 miles long where as Echo is only 1.2 miles long. If you are going to hike this mountain a few things you should know;

Come early, Parking is only on the main roads. Bring at least a gallon of water. Where proper clothing and footwear and most of all have fun and stay within your limits!

Some highlights of the hike.

Good Hiking Y'all!