Grand Canyon North Rim, AZ - Jun 2006

We arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim campground around 8:00 in the morning and stood in line with several other folks who were also waiting for a spot. Luck was with us as we got the last of the campsites that had been in the cancellation pool, but we had to wait until 11:00 for the previous campers to leave. We parked the RV in the Visitor's Center parking lot and then went and browsed around to pass the time.

Our campsite was pretty nice -- a large pull-thru with lots of trees and bordered by an expansive area between the next row of campers. The only down side to this campsite was that it was right next to a restroom building that was just beginning to be re-built, so all day long the area was filled with the noise of demolition and new construction. We were mostly out and about during the day, so it didn't bother us too much. Some of the sites along the outer rim of the campground had views out over the canyon. They were prime spots and apparently had been booked for months in advance.

One of our first outings was a hike along the Transept Trail. It was an easy hike of about 3 miles round trip from the campground over to the Visitor's Center and Lodge area and back. We left early in the morning and enjoyed a nice walk through pine trees with lots of stops to look at the pretty views over the canyon. We stopped in at the deli near the lodge and ordered some breakfast tacos and then took them out on the patio and had our breakfast while we savored the view. After that, with full tummies and happy hearts, we made the return trip home.

The Lodge was an impressive building with a grand, multi-storied entrance and a semi-circular lounge area that was mostly glass on the side facing the canyon. The views out were gorgeous and the patio areas on the back of the lodge had lots of rustic wood furniture that beckoned us to sit and enjoy the sights. There was a dining room off to one side of the lodge and it too was impressive with high ceilings and walls of windows facing the canyon.

In the lounge area was a statue of Brighty -- the much-adored burro who was written about in Marguerite Henry's book "Brighty of the Grand Canyon." Brighty lived at the Grand Canyon from 1892 to 1922 and was remembered as a wild and carefree animal who touched the lives of all those he met -- including Teddy Roosevelt. A movie was also made about Brighty and the statue was given to the park by the producer of the movie.

We took several drives while at the park and hiked out to many overlooks. This one was called Angel's Window. Can you see the itty-bitty sized people at the top? It was a huge rock, but walking out to the point was still intimidating as you had to pass through a very narrow section where the path was reduced to a mere 2' wide and the dramatic drops on either side were not to be ignored. Even with solid fencing, it gave me the feeling that I needed to hang on as I approached the edge. Frank (with his fear of heights) took a long time to cross that narrow section, but he finally got through and over to the other side.

The drives were fun, the hikes were awesome, but sometimes just sitting and chillin' is pretty special too. This relaxing setting was at Roosevelt Point and it had a great view of the confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. The point was named after Teddy Roosevelt -- who in 1919, declared the land a national park.

Sunsets were extra special at the north rim as the color of the rocks deepened in intensity. We went out one evening and walked the Bright Angel trail out to another overlook to watch the colors come to life.