Sharkey's Travels

Running across the vast desert landscape as fast as my legs could carry me, I jumped across cacti with my camera in hand, eager to capture the harra of galloping horses. The sound as they travelled across the land echoed and made the whole ground shake. When I finally got close enough, I stopped and began to photograph the horses before they descended downhill, out of sight. Smiling to myself at what I had just witnessed, I suddenly felt a presence near me. I looked up to find a huge black horse had stopped only a few feet from me. It was staring deep into my eyes and looked displeased that I was in the vicinity of their path. Gripped by fear as the horse began to scrape the ground with its front hoof, I slowly took a step back. Unexpectedly, I heard a mighty 'Yaaaa' and out of nowhere a cowboy riding his horse made the great black beast staring me down, run off down the pass. I quickly snapped a photo of the cowboy before wandering back to the car in disbelief at what I had just witnessed.
After 4 nights in Las Vegas I was making my way to Williams, Arizona via the Grand Canyon, to take in the sights of the wonder that I had only ever seen in pictures. Little did I know that only a few meters outside the park I would come across my very own scene from the wild west. Having pulled in at the first parking point outside the north-east exit from the park, I couldn't believe my eyes at witnessing horse herding and a real life cowboy. Travelling onwards to Williams, a beautiful quaint little town situated on Route 66, I checked into the Canyon Country Inn, a gorgeous little guest house which reminded me of when I was young, staying at my grandma's house, cosy and inviting. Off to explore, wandering down main street, I came across a crowd gathered. A show was just beginning in the middle of the street ... A wild west gun fight! Watching the action unfold, as cowboys in their hats and boots drew their guns and fired at each other, it was so surreal to be a part of it. When the show was over, I strolled through the streets, in and out the unusual little shops selling all sorts of cowboy and western giftware, before making my way back to the Wild West Junction, an old wild west theme location which is home to a fab little western restaurant, wild west saloon and jailhouse. Two cowboys sang and played guitar as I ate in this dreamlike spot. Who would have known real-life & fairytale Wild West existed so close to Vegas. Nearby places, worlds apart in character.