Bluegrass Retired Chick: #route66

Day 16: Catalina State Park, Arizona to Flagstaff, Arizona

Miles: ~268 miles
Left: 10:30 AM, Arrived: 3:30PM
2 Pit stops
Weather: Sunny, High in the 50s, lows mid 20's

We were supposed to head straight to the Grand Canyon from Catalina State Park but looking at the overnight low it was forecast to be 17 for a low which is about 10 degrees too cold for our 3 season camper. Flagstaff’s low was forecast to be 27 degrees so we opted to book the Flagstaff KOA & forfeit a night at Mather Campground. We tried to call them to to let them know we would be a day late but it is impossible to get through to anyone live, just automated messages directing you to the website or app. Fingers crossed, that they wouldn't give away our site overnight.

Since the drive was shorter we chose to take our time getting on the road. Steve did his Saturday morning run at the park. Afterwards, we made a quick Walmart run to get some antifreeze for the grey & black tanks. We were loaded, dumped & on the road by 10:30AM. Traffic in the Phoenix area was heavy but moving. The roads were decent until we got on I-17 North which was a bit rough. We made one rest area stop on the way to Flagstaff. We did try to stop for gas but the pump was SOOOOOO slow we stopped at $10 & said that was good enough to get us to Flagstaff.

We arrived at the KOA at 3:30PM. We were in site 72, back in site with electric & water. Sites are close together but the place was pretty empty so no one on either side or behind us. After we unhooked & got plugged up we took the dogs to the K9 Kamp which is a really nice feature of these KOAs. The dogs seem to love them & this was a big one with a few obstacles.

We didn’t eat a proper lunch so we drove into town to have an early dinner at the Tiki Grill. I got the seared rainbow trout salad & Steve got blackened fish tacos which both were really good. Afterwards we did a quick drive through downtown & made a stop at the Flagstaff Route 66 sign. This year is the 100 year anniversary of Route 66. We will be driving home some portion of the route. We finally filled up the truck, yikes! Almost $100! Gas has gone up significantly since we left home a few weeks ago. Once back at camp we took the dogs back to the K9 Kamp for awhile before sunset. Belle had a case of the zoomies. She was a happy pup running around, even Sammie joined in.

KOA Flagstaff

Great Salad at the Tiki Grill

Flagstaff Route 66

Entrance to KOA Flagstaff

KOA Kamp K9

KOA Flagstaff

Flagstaff, Arizona
Private
Rating 4/5
Site 72, Gravel back in site, Water & electric, sewer on site
Good bath houses, hot water, shower stalls, laundry
$71 / night with discount
Picnic table
Easy access on edge of town
Campground was quiet overnight
Road Conditions: US 60 was decent but I-17 North was a bit rough

Day 17 through 21 — Flagstaff KOA to Mather Campground in Grand Canyon National Park

Miles: ~85 miles
Left: 8 AM, Arrived: 9:30AM
No Pit stops
Weather: Sunny, High in the 50s, low mid 25's

Day 17: Woke up around 5:30AM & made coffee. It turned out that the low at the Grand Canyon was 2 degrees warmer than Flagstaff. Oh well, at least we had electric & hot showers in the morning. We were on the road by 8AM & arrived at Mather Campground by 9:30AM. No big deal that we didn’t show up yesterday. They don’t give away sites if folks don’t show up. Recreation.gov makes it difficult to change at the last minute so there were a lot of sites unoccupied.

Our site is 180 in the Juniper loop. It is a pull through, asphalt site but the campground is beautiful with lots of pine trees and lots of space between campsites. There was plenty of sun most of the day so we were able to use our solar panels to charge the battery throughout the day. The site has no hookups but toilets & water were nearby and generators could be used between 7-9AM & 6-8PM. The truck has an onboard generator which is nice. The truck engine only turns on periodically to charge the battery. Much quieter than some of those gas generators.

We were setup by 10AM so we made breakfast than headed to the visitor center to get our first views of the Grand Canyon. We are here for 5 nights so we wanted to get our bearings to plan the rest of the week. We watched the film at the Visitor Center which was very good. It included members from each of the tribes that call the canyon home.

We went back to camp for lunch then walked the dogs along the greenway trail. The trails are walking and biking trails that go around the campground, park & to Tusayan. After the dog walk, I biked the trails to the train depot & back. Later in the afternoon it was breezier with the sun going down so it was a chilly ride. It is hard to know what to wear, the sun is warm but the temps are only in the 50’s. I changed several times throughout the day. Layers are definitely a must.

Steve & I went to Yavapai Point to watch the sunset. We also went through the geology museum where we learned that the Grand Canyon is nearly 2 billion years old. It is just awe inspiring. Photos can’t capture the magic you feel when looking into the canyon.

We had a later dinner at camp while Steve setup his astro gear.

Mather Campground - Site 180

Mather Campground - Site 180

Mather Point - Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Train Depot

Biking the Park

Yavapai Point Sunset

Day 18: It was cold overnight, low 25F but the camper was fine. I was a bit cold overnight but we only had the thermostat set to 63. Steve had an extra blanket so he was good. We plugged the truck in so we could brew coffee at camp. We took a slow morning. I did some research for places to stay on the way home then took the dogs on a long walk along the trail.

We had lunch reservations at El Tovar in the historic hotel. It’s a pretty cool old hotel built in 1905 on a budget of $250K. Unfortunately, what we got for lunch wasn’t great. We picked the chef recommendation of Navajo tacos, Steve got beef, I got veggie. It’s not what we expected. Navajo fry bread was the base with beef & veggie chili than topped with a bunch of shredded lettuce & cheese with sides of sour cream, guacamole & salsa. It was OK but really not great for the price. We can at least say we dined at the historic El Tovar now.

After lunch we walked to the Bright Angel trail head then hopped on the Hermit’s Rest shuttle bus. We got off at one stop but mostly wanted to ride it to get a feel for the route in case we decide to bike it while we were there. The views were spectacular. At the Hermits Rest gift shop, Steve found a replacement Hydroflask coffee mug which made his day. We rode the bus back to the Village than went back to camp. We took the dogs for a walk then made PB&J’s to take to Moran Point. The plan was for Steve to do some night imaging along the rim. We spent a couple of hours there & got some nice sunset shots. The night shots are going to have to wait until he gets home to process. He is going to have so many photos after this trip!

Sammie loves riding in her stroller

Photos will never do the canyon justice!

Steve at El Tovar

El Tovar Lobby

My thing

Another selfie

Steve getting setup

Sunset at Moran Point

Day 19: I bought an extra blanket yesterday & was much warmer overnight. We had another easy morning at camp. I love, love this campground. We enjoyed 2 cups of coffee while the sun came up. Once warmer, I made omelets & toast outside for breakfast. We then took pups for walk on the trail but I think Sammie was feeling puny.

We hiked the Bright Angel trail to the first rest stop. We started around 10:30AM. It was a beautiful day for a hike - perfect temperature. There were lots of people on the trail & surprisingly lots of folks with kids, many of which had no desire to be on the trail, LOL. The trail is mostly switchbacks & easy going down but definitely felt like work going back up. We climbed ~ 1200 feet. It wasn’t bad, if we had started earlier we could have easily gone to the second rest stop. We didn’t want to push it since you really don’t know how you are going to feel until you start climbing back up. Next time.

We got back to camp around 1:30PM, made lunch then headed for the showers. The showers here cost $2.50 in quarters for 5 minutes of hot water. The shower I picked had terrible water pressure so I only had time to wash up & wet my hair. Shampooing would have cost me another $5. I’ll wait until the KOA in Flagstaff for the next shampoo. Steve said he had good pressure so I planned to try another shower next time…shower 1 in the womens bath had terrible water pressure.

After showers, we went to the market to get one of our propane tanks swapped & a few groceries including water. Back at camp we chilled awhile, walked dogs, had dinner & spent a quiet evening in the camper. Steve was watching lots of Oliver videos and I did research on where to stay after Winslow.

Bright Angel Trail

Belle briefly went into the pen with Sammie

Day 20: Another beautiful day at the Grand Canyon. We were so fortunate with the weather! I made old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast at camp. We took the dogs for a walk around Oak & Maple camp loops for a change of pace.

We decided to bike the greenway trail to South Kaibab trail head. Steve brought his camera & took some shots of the canyon. We then biked to Tusayan for lunch along the Arizona Trail. We had pizza at We Cook Pizza & Pasta. It was really good & we brought leftovers back to camp. While in Tusayan, we went over to the IMAX & watched Rivers of Time. It was pretty interesting movie, really can’t believe the bravery of the early explorers running the Colorado river virtually blind. Crazy! I also picked up the book Code Talker by Chester Nez while at the visitor center. What an amazing story!

We then biked back to camp. We saw several big deer walking around our campground loop. I made a salad & a couple of PB&J’s to go. Steve was going to do another attempt at night imaging since the first night didn’t really pan out well. Tonight we stopped at Grand View overlook to do the night imaging but before that, we stopped at another overlook & Steve saw Elk walking the rocks at sunset. He captured several images of them. So cool.

So many pictures!

Campground Deer

Photo by Steve

Day 21: I did not sleep as good while at Mather campground. I think it was because we didn't have electric hook ups so we were using the gas heater. The gas heater is much louder than the portable electric one. It also makes a ticking noise which I think sounds similar to Sammie walking on the tile so I think she is up & having to go outside. Minor inconvenience for such an otherwise perfect location.

We had our coffee & were easing into the day when promptly at 7AM the campers across the way fired up their industrial sized generator. It was SO loud & smelly. Generators are allowed between 7AM-9AM & 6PM-8PM everyday but this one was so close. When I opened the door you could see the haze from the exhaust, plus their CO2 detector was going off which was pretty bad. We ate breakfast & took the dogs for a walk in the hopes by the time we got back they would have turned off the generator. Sammie was full of energy & she walked a lot of the trail before going into the stroller. So glad we upgraded the stroller, it was so handy on this trip! When we got back to camp the neighbors generator was off & they were packing up to go home.

Today is our last full day at the canyon & we decided to bike to Hermits Rest & stop at each of the overlooks. Steve took so many photos. We never got tired of the views! We took our time & got back to camp around 3PM. After we got back, we took another $2.50 shower but this time I chose a better shower (#6) with decent water pressure. We later stopped at the market to refill our water bottles & recycle the Coleman propane tanks. Back at camp we ate pizza & salads for dinner.

Closer to sunset, we found another spot along the rim road to do some more night imaging. Again we brought the dogs. Not sure if Steve had any luck but it was a good learning experience regardless.

View along Hermits Rest Road

Mather Campground

Grand Canyon Park, Arizona
Rating 5/5
Campsite: Juniper 180. Pull through asphalt
$15 / night with discount
No hookups. Toilets & water nearby. Showers $2.50 / 5 minutes
Easy access to all things Grand Canyon
Quiet overnight
Road conditions: Good

Day 22 (3/13/26)— Grand Canyon National Park to Flagstaff KOA

Miles: ~85 miles
Left: 11:15 AM, Arrived: 12:45PM
No Pit stops
Weather: Sunny, High in the 60s, windy

Day 22: We planned to get up early to watch the sunrise over the canyon but we were both tired & couldn’t get moving early enough. Next year.

Checkout is 11AM & since we only were going to Flagstaff we took our time getting packed up. Instant oatmeal & coffee for breakfast then took dogs for a long walk on the trail before putting them in the truck while we finished loading up. Since we had plenty of time, we stopped at the visitor center once we were hooked up & dumped for one last peek at the Grand Canyon. We took the dogs so we got several group selfies. These dogs are rotten taking pictures!

We were on the road by 11:15AM and had an uneventful drive to Flagstaff. Arrived at the KOA at 12:45PM. This time we had a pull through but the site was on the end near the road so everyone could see in. There was no sitting outside at your picnic table as it felt like being on the road. Also had to be super careful with the dogs. Couldn’t let them just jump out for fear of them running into the driveway when a truck was going by.

Terrible Site!

Right on the Campground road

Once all setup, we went to Dark Sky Brewing for a flight & lunch. I thought they had pizza but that was at the next door site & we couldn’t bring the food to the other location. So Steve got fish & chips & I got roasted tofu & Brussel sprouts over rice with Masala sauce. It was so good. The beer was really good too but it hurt Steve’s belly. He cannot drink beer at all. After lunch we walked around downtown a bit & got coffee & gelato. Good coffee, but the gelato was the worst I have ever had. Disappointing!

Dark Sky Brewing Flight

So good!

Downtown Flagstaff

We were back at camp by late afternoon. Finally shampoo’d hair. Showers are decent provided you pick the right shower with good water pressure. Water was hot & not timed. After showers we did laundry, $3 wash, $2 dry. We did 2 loads & was done by 6:30PM. Needed to do another suitcase swap as the temps are going up & it’s not as cold at night. I brought my winter coats, pants, hat & gloves but didn’t need them this trip. The temps were above normal for the majority of the trip. I wore most of my clothes but probably can pare down a few things for next trip. We spent the rest of the evening in the camper chilling out.

Day 23 - Flagstaff, AZ

It was Saturday so a run day for Steve. We loaded up the dogs and went to Buffalo Park. He ran the two mile loop while I walked / pushed the dogs. After he ran the loop he came back for us & took Belle to run her in. She loved it. It was a nice wide dirt trail with mountain views. Would probably suck after a rain or snow but today it was nice & dry. I was able to easily push Sammie & I let Belle walk herself which she does great. Not too busy of a park at 8AM. It was cloudy & chilly in the morning but it cleared up later in the day.

Sammie in stroller, Belle walking herself

After the run/walk, we dropped the dogs off at camp then headed downtown for breakfast at Puebla Sunrise Cafe. We both ordered the specials. Steve got the chorizo special & & I got the huevos rancheros. Mine was really good & I think Steve liked his.

With both the Red & Green chili sauce - so good

Back at camp, we washed all the dog blankets & rug then went to Safeway for a few groceries. After lunch at camp, we went to Lowell’s Observatory. We got in free with our ASTC membership. We watched the Cosmic Highways: A Centennial Tour presentation linking Route 66 to astronomers at the time. There is a lot of Route 66 fanfare this year as it is the 100th anniversary of the route. It was an interesting story about Lowell’s big red that he paid $5K for it back in the day. It eventually found it’s way back to the observatory museum which they gave us a tour of after the presentation. Afterwards, we walked around & toured all the observatories on site. Steve met a fellow astrophotographer that was working at one of the observatories. During the tour, we learned that Pluto was Arizona's official planet! Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in 1930.

We went back to camp for dinner & to let the dogs out before the evening stargazing viewings. We got back to the observatory around 7PM and it was much busier after sunset than during the day. Before the 8PM showing of Strange New Worlds, we went to a couple of the observatories and saw Sirius & Jupiter with two of its moons. The sidewalks have glow in the dark material & all the lights are red outside to protect your night vision. Flagstaff is the only certified dark sky city & because of this the observatory is able to do their night sky viewings outside. The winds were down a bit from earlier plus they have heated seats so it wasn’t too uncomfortably cold. The presentation was great, went over some the visible astrology signs, North Star & the some galaxies. The presenter talked about whether we are alone & finding life on other planets & moons. It was a highly enjoyable presentation and we would definitely come back.