Day 12 - Williams, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Williams, Arizona is another town that we are sorry to leave. Situated approximately midway between The Grand Canyon and Sedona, it was a great centre from which to visit these areas. But Williams’ own old west charm and Route 66 nostalgia went largely unexplored. One more day probably would have done it, but we felt it was time to move on.

There is a lot to learn when visiting new places - snippets of history and culture and sometimes even a new language. But, it’s also a time to learn how to travel smart. And, today I learned a lesson about paying attention to advanced booking details. I booked two of the three nights we stayed in Williams on line through Expedia.ca. Although I have only booked with them a few times, it generally goes off without a hitch. But I realized I had a credit card receipt from the motel for those two nights and was quite sure I had paid by credit card online. In other words, I had paid double. Or so I thought. After a rather non productive debate with the front desk clerk, the manager finally emerged and explained that some reservations are paid in advance through Expedia and some are not, depending on the arrangement the hotel has made with Expedia. When the booking is prepaid, the hotel doesn’t see the room rate. When Expedia simply holds the reservation with the credit card, the hotel sees the rate Expedia has offered and payment is made on check-in. In our case, the Expedia rate showed up on the motel’s computer and we paid on check-in. I likely would have had this information had I been able to print the reservation confirmation from Expedia. But, I was nonetheless a little embarrassed. I will confirm that we only paid once when I can securely contact the credit card company and in future I will be more attentive to the details of on-line booking.

On our drive to Laughlin along Historic Route 66, we came upon a somewhat derelict looking building that looked like it had been a gas station back in the day. It was now a General Store cluttered outside with antique non-operating gas pumps, shells of old cars from the fifties and even two live burros in a fenced in part of the yard. The inside was jammed packed with Route 66 memorabilia, some for show and some for sale. The eclectic jumble contrasted with the repetition of sage and sand on our desert drive.

By the time we reached Laughlin, we had crossed part of the Mojave Desert, and descended to approximately 500 feet above sea level and into temperatures over 100 F. (I still don’t understand how elevation above sea level is measured in a desert).

We had a great dinner at the buffet at our hotel to celebrate our 12^th anniversary. For those who are now confused, it’s the 12^th anniversary of our first date – and we always celebrate it.

Until tomorrow . . . .