Discover Sedona AZ – Williams AZ and the Grand Views
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Arizona Resorts/ Arizona Travel Deals / Arizona Golf / Spas in AZ
Discover America – red rocks of Sedona and Williams, Ariz.
In my article last week I offered several vacation ideas where the exchange rate of the dollar against foreign currency would not be an issue. One idea was staying closer to home – vacationing in the United States.
I had been to Sedona several years ago, but this was Carol’s first excursion into Red Rock country. As we turned off Interstate 17 toward Sedona, it’s only a matter of minutes before you see the first of the magnificent red rock sculptures that make Sedona an artist’s paradise.
The rock formations are vivid colors of red and gold, and change colors as the sun shifts and ducks behind the clouds. I could only imagine what it would look like at sunrise and sunset.
As we headed into town, our first stop was to see the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Built in 1956 by famed religious artist Marguenite Brunswig, the church was built directly into a butte and offers a spectacular view of the valley below. The most prominent feature of the church is the giant cross that appears to support the entire structure as it juts out from the rocks. If you plan to visit the chapel, I suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes – it’s a steep climb up from the parking lot; however, the view of the valley is worth every step.
As we continued driving into town, I was surprised at how much development had taken place since my last visit. In the midst of the numerous art galleries along Route 179, there is a factory outlet mall and several new resorts and golf courses. The tourists have definitely discovered Sedona, or maybe I should say, Sedona has discovered the tourists.
We stopped for lunch in the “city center” and took time to browse in the art galleries, jewelry stores and gift shops along the main street. Unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately for my pocketbook and credit cards, we did not have a lot of time to wander, since we had hotel reservations in Williams for that evening.
If you have more time than half an afternoon, and are into hiking, golfing, fly-fishing, horseback riding or are looking for a few days’ rest and a place to rejuvenate mind, body and spirit, Sedona is a perfect destination. There are a dozen state and national parks and several campgrounds operated by the Forest Service in and around Sedona. Spring and fall are the most popular times to visit Sedona – summer is hot and at 5,000-feet elevation, it gets mighty cold in the winter.
We took the scenic route to Flagstaff and caught Interstate 40 west into Williams, the home of the historic Grand Canyon Railway. I had been to the Grand Canyon before, but like most travelers today, I arrived by car. The very first passengers boarded the train in Williams, Ariz., on Sept. 17, 1901, and traveled along the 65 miles of track through the high desert plains and the dense Ponderosa pine forest to arrive just steps from the canyon’s South Rim. The history of the Grand Canyon Railway is a familiar story when talking about train travel in the United States.
In the early 1900s the railroad was the popular mode of transportation and made the Grand Canyon easily accessible to the traveling public. In the early 1920s, a road was put into the newly established Grand Canyon National Park. It was this singular event that marked the fate of train travel to the Grand Canyon.
The figures are astounding: in 1927, 70,382 passengers arrived at the South Rim via train. In 1933, 73,034 cars entered Grand Canyon National Park and 11,239 passengers arrived that year via train. In 1968 there were three passengers on the last passenger train to the Grand Canyon.
It wasn’t until Sept. 17, 1989, 88 years after its inaugural run, that the Grand Canyon Railway resumed operation. Max and Thelma Biegert, owners of the Grand Canyon Railway, brought an important piece of Arizona history back to life. It seems like we’ve come full circle. Today, not only does the Grand Canyon Railway provide an historical and fun journey to the canyon, it is now responsible for keeping more than 50,000 cars outside the park, which helps preserve the pristine beauty of a national treasure.
I’m getting ahead of myself. We arrived in Williams around 5 p.m. and checked into the Fray Marcus Hotel (now called the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel) adjacent to the Williams Depot. The hotel is not an historic treasure, but it is a delightful hotel with a wonderful lobby and even more wonderful stone fireplace. By the time we arrived in Williams, the temperature had dropped and rain was in the forecast. The blazing fire in the main lobby, along with a cup of hot tea, was a welcome sight.
At present, the hotel has 196 rooms, but is adding 102 rooms. The hotel offers an indoor pool, small exercise room and hot tub. In the hotel is Spenser’s Lounge, a small pub-type restaurant with the most wonderful 19th-century hand-carved bar brought over from Europe. There is also a full-service restaurant, Max and Thelma’s, located next to the depot and a short walk from the hotel.
Once we checked into the hotel and warmed up with a cup of tea, I wanted to check out the town of Williams. Five minutes later we were back in the hotel. Seriously, the town of Williams – founded in 1882 as a railroad town, and later regaining its popularity as part of the Route 66 craze – is two main streets with curio shops, motels, gas stations and restaurants. There is also a Safeway and a 99-cent store. Williams has been around for more than 100 years and is now enjoying a renaissance due to the popularity of the Grand Canyon Railway.
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