6/28 - North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Today we drove almost 100 miles to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A long drive, rising up to greater than 8,400 feet, but through some nice scenery. 

We passed through one section, a few miles long, of burnt forest. There were signs all along the way telling us not to report smoke, which we thought was strange. Later we learned that controlled fires were being started to support the natural process of the land. Years of fighting all fires left things out of kilter, so now rangers are working to correct that. In this area the ground was green again, so it couldn't have burned too recently.

And then we made it to the Canyon.  Everyone agrees - you can take all the pictures you want, but you will never capture the feeling of standing on the edge, looking across at all that space.

I still love the scruffy, hardy trees that grow around here. They have to work so hard at living, and they still manage grow in such imaginative ways!

The huge crevice reaching across the canyon floor is called Bright Angel Fault. In 2012 Randy and Aaron hiked down the Bright Angle Trail to the canyon floor, and back up again. Amazing!

We hiked a ways along the rim. I took too many pictures, of course, trying to capture the feeling of the place. And failed, of course. But at least I have memories. There is nothing else like this in the world, and I am so grateful for the National Park Service for protecting it.

I have a terrible, terrible sunburn all around my neck from my day at Zion, so now I am protecting it with a scarf. I look like I'm afraid I'll catch cold in this summer heat - such a tourist! 

We also walked a short way down the Kaibab Trail. It's full length is 13.7 miles down to the canyon floor, where it meets the Bright Angel Trail. 

On the drive back to our RV park we passed a small herd of buffalo, grazing in a wide swath of grasslands that reach back to the forest edge. There are no fences around, so these are probably wild.

We stopped in Kanab for a late lunch at Neidra's Too. Right after we put our order in, an entire motorcycle gang pulled in for lunch. Good thing we got there first, because they swamped the little kitchen! They serve pretty good Mexican food here; it takes a little while to get it delivered, but as the menu says, that's because everything is made to order.

The end of a lovely day; tomorrow we will revisit Zion.