Adventure to Williams

          This past weekend, our family drove north for a camping adventure.  We traveled with our good friends, the St. Aubyns.  We left Phoenix Friday morning, stopped for lunch in Prescott, and arrived in Williams early that afternoon.  Our families modified our camping experience by staying in "camping cabins" at the KOA campground.  We still cooked our food over a grill (no fires allowed because of the lack of rain), used bathrooms up the hill, and slept on sleeping bags, but we didn't have to set up tents.  We had four walls and a roof over our heads.  These little cabins turned out to be quite a blessing, as the winds gusted between 40 and 50 mph the entire time we were there!  It also rained and hailed for an hour in the night, so we truly appreciated our roofs!

          While we were camping, we explored a local lake.  The kids were so entertained by throwing rocks into the water and hunting for dead crawfish.  The adults were thankful for such a peaceful location to play.  After exploring the lake front, we cooked burgers and hot dogs for dinner.  The kids were excited to sit on the ground to eat their food, too.  Every one slept ok that night, and we woke up to a very chilly morning.  The rain brought a cool front, so the temps on Saturday never got above 42 degrees!  After a week in Phoenix with temps above 100, we felt cold!

          We spent Saturday exploring the Route 66 town of Williams.  We ate breakfast at a fantastic local restaurant, watched the Memorial Day weekend parade, and popped in and out of the stores (trying to stay warm).  The kids loved exploring the train and train station (part of the Grand Canyon Railway).  I loved drinking hot coffee from the local coffee shop.

          At 2 p.m., we drove over to the Rodeo Grounds for the rodeo!  The kid's rodeo began at 2 p.m., and Audrey was hopeful that she could be part of the show.  When we walked into the rodeo grounds, we immediately learned that she COULD be a rodeo participant in the horse stick race!  (Her response: "You mean God did answer my prayer!! I get to be in the rodeo!!")  She won the first race and came in second the second time, so it was a good debut for the newest rodeo princess!  

          After watching the rest of the kid's rodeo (complete with mutton bustin', calf riding, steer riding, and pee wee barrel racing), we began our drive back to Phoenix.  It was a quick trip, but a great one!