Williams, Arizona and Grand Canyon National Park

 Williams, Arizona was our last sightseeing stop before heading home.

 

 

The town is the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park.

 

 

This late 19th century western town is where cowboys, horses, vintage cars and motorcycles are a big part of the atmosphere.

 

 

 This shop keeps Route 66 collectors happy.

 

You can hear the sound of train whistles from the

Historic Harvey House and Depot near the town center.

On display is this ninety year old steam powered  locomotive.

  

Trains carry visitors to the Grand Canyon about 60 miles away.  The first train

arrived at the South Rim in 1901.

 

Starting at Mather Point, there are several viewpoints overlooking the canyon.

 

The canyon was created 5-6 million years ago.

 

 

The South and North Rims are 10-18 miles apart.

 

 

South Rim elevation is 7,000 ft.  Canyon is a mile deep.  

 

 

Colorful rock layers which include Redwall limestone.

 

 

Lunch with a view near Yavapai Point and Geology Museum.

 

 

Compare this picture to the next one with camera zoom lens view.

 



 

The Colorado River runs 277 river miles.  Note the rafters ready to go near the Phantom Ranch.  The water is always about 46 degrees.

 

 

El Tovar Lodge on the South Rim was built 1905. 

The architecture is a combination of a Swiss chalet and Norwegian Villa.

 

 

Grand Canyon Depot is the end of the 2 1/2 hour train ride from Williams.

 

 

Conductor confers with actors who stage a train robbery for tourists.



Gallup, New Mexico

Gallup, New Mexico is located in the heart of Native American Indian Country. Close by is the Navajo Reservation.

 

 

 The historical El Rancho Hotel is where

well known Hollywood stars stayed when filming

Cowboy Western Movies in the area.

 

 

 The two story open lobby greets guests.

 

The circular staircase leads to the second floor.

 Note the Navajo rugs and mounted trophy heads.

 





 Movie Star's autographed photos decorate the walls.

 



 A shoe shine stand sits in a corner.



Santa Rosa, New Mexico on Route 66

Santa Rosa is a small town situated on the red mesas of
northeast New Mexico. Spanish Explorers discovered the area in 1583.

 

Historic Route 66 runs thru downtown with well preserved neon signs,
 buildings and other artifacts from 1930 to 1960. 

 

 

 A sample of old rural Route 66 which runs through the outskirts of town.

 Route 66 was built in 1926, extending 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. It was also known as the Main Street of America. In 1956, the interstate highway system made the road obsolete.

 





 Billboard rocks on Route 66 used to advertise local stores.

 

 

Downtown Main Street has several well preserved old signs...

hmmm cable TV?

 

Texaco Service Station from 1937 

 

 

Old hotel sign

 





 

 Railroad bridge over Pecos River which appeared in the
1940 film Grapes of Wrath.

 

 

Historic Saint Rose Chapel and St. Rose of Lima Cemetery

from early 1800. 

 

 

The Blue Hole is famous for scuba diving.
 The sign shares all the stats.

 

 

 New group getting instructions.

 

 

It is an Artesian Well.  The surface is 60 ft. in diameter but

expands to 130 ft. at the bottom.

 





 

A group of divers waiting their turn.

 

 

Puerto de Luna is an almost ghost town 10 miles south of Santa Rosa.

The town was founded 1863.  Billy the Kid used to hang around this area.

He was a cowboy, rustler, outlaw and gambler in the 19th century.

 

 

With a bounty on his head, Billy was ambushed and

murdered 20 miles away in Ft. Sumner, NM.

 

 

Old Conoco gas station



Abandoned frontier homes



 

The weather was changing quickly as

we moved around the area.



Denton, Texas

 

After leaving Rockport, we headed north just outside Dallas, Texas. 

 

 

Nearby is the city of Denton, Texas.  The county

seat Court House is an impressive building. Named after

John B. Denton who was a minister killed in an

Indian War defending frontier settlers. 

 

 

Old fashioned ice creamery on the plaza.

 

Oak Hickory Historic District

 

 

 

Wichita Falls, Texas

In 1919, several oil booms created a crowded Wichita Falls. Investors rushed

to invest in construction projects.   A story of fraud......

 

 

This building known as the "Littlest Skyscraper" was presented to

investors by a building engineer from the East Coast.  None of

the investors noticed that the blueprints showed dimensions in square

inches instead of square feet, hence the small building size. The developer

got away with most of the money.

 

 

In 1926, this building was turned into a state of the art Hotel.

People from around the world trying to get into the booming

oil business stayed here.  Eleanor Roosevelt was a guest.

 

 

Frank Kell, a businessman who helped Wichita Falls grow,

 built this home in 1909.

 

 

The Memorial Auditorium was built in the late 1920's.  The last

Indian battle in this area was fought on this spot ten years before

the Auditorium.

 

 

Historic train depot museum

 

 

Wichita Falls did have falls but they were wiped out by a flood.  Today

the falls are man-made.

 

 

Heading west on the high desert of New Mexico.



Backroads of Ingleside, Texas

 

Ingleside, TX is a small community on the bay across from Corpus Christi. 

 

The area is a mixture of steel fabrication, manufacturing, port facilities and unique neighborhoods.

 

 

A floating oil drilling rig under construction.

 

 

An idyllic fishing center. 

 

 

A small kayak rental business decked out with a mermaid on the bow.

 

 

Small canals invite building spots.

 

Drive in boat garage with a hoist. 

 



Newer brightly colored home with a fabulous view.

 

 

The owners wake up to the outline of Corpus Christi across the bay.

 

In Aransas Pass, this homeowner placed his mobile home

on pillars for flood protection, good view and big deck.



 



 

At the close of the winter season, winter visitors at our park

had a potluck before everyone heads for home.