Kaibab National Forest
Blog 383: Wandering Williams
Escape
We wanted to escape the heat and escape we did! While many parts of the country, and most cities in the West, were registering in the 90s temperature-wise, sunny and dry, Williams (elevation of 6,762) has consistently been mild (low 70s to low 80s), cloudy, and wet. The monsoon season has brought rain every day of our visit. Nice change of pace, but after a couple of weeks mosquitos started to buzz their presence (where did we put that bug spray?).
Williams
Founded in 1881, Williams was named for the famous trapper, scout, and mountain man, "Old Bill Williams." The town is located in the heart of the splendid Kaibab National Forest. The stated population is 3,200 although it appears to be larger. The three main attractions of Williams are:
1. They market the town as “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” and a big part of that is the Grand Canyon Railroad that travels the track to the Grand Canyon daily (more about this in the next blog).
2. Route 66: This touristy mile or so strip has old motels (many original), all sorts of restaurants, and enough bars to satisfactorily service every soldier in an Army division. There are working-class neighborhoods and some nice new housing developments, with some higher-end commercial establishments breaking ground to add a little contrast to the Route 66 focus. Over our stay we walked the downtown route several times early in the morning before things started to rock.
3. Bearizona: Yikes! Another tourist trap? Of course, it is not a destination we would normally participate in, but once Jack and Toby heard about it (actually, they saw the sign), they applied pressure until we caved (we went on a Wednesday to get the senior discount). Actually, it is pretty cool—bears, wolves, bison, foxes, otters, elk, and so on. Via their 160-acres drive through, they provide a nice home for orphaned or confiscated wildlife. They practice rainwater collection, they recycle, and they are very active in wildlife education.
The cardinal rules for the drive through are doors locked, windows up, and keep moving. Lots of really close photo ops, but all through glass.
The only thing I regret is not taking ear plugs! Jan was driving, Toby was jumping up and down on my lap, and both Toby and Jack in the back barked at hard-rock concert levels. We’d do it again. https://www.bearizona.com
Hummers
Just about everywhere we go, within an hour of getting set up in camp, our hummingbird feeder (sometimes two) is full of nectar, hung up, and inviting visitors. We’ve had a good number of customers here at Williams. Here are a few of the broad-tailed hummers that showed up…
And here are some rufous hummers…
Also, our feeder attracted more than just hummers. Here is a house finch that happened along one day as well as a yellowjacket hankering something sweet.
So far so good. See you soon.