June 24 - July 13, 2008 - We left Flagstaff in search of cooler
weather, and we found that and much more at the North Rim of the
Grand Canyon. The road from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is 44
miles of graceful beauty.
After descending through dense woods, some of which were badly
burned in a wildfire in 2005, the road shakes out its curves, the tall
pines step back, and you fly along through lush meadows. These
meadows were green when we arrived in June, but by the time we left
in July there were wildflowers of all colors scattered about. The
elevation in this part of the world hovers between 8,500 and 9,000 feet, making the warm summer season very short. When we
first arrived the sun was abundant and the air was warm. By the time we left the summer monsoons were in full swing, bringing
thick, black storm clouds every afternoon. You could almost set your
clock by the 2:00 thunderstorms. We boondocked in a little forest
glade that was pure heaven. Our only neighbors were a jackrabbit
and a deer, both of which made several appearances, and a
gorgeous male western tanager who appeared near the end of our
stay. Our little clearing was
lined with aspen that quivered
whenever the wind blew. Our
first evening in our little
paradise we watched the sun
set while listening to John
Denver sing about nature.
The warblers chimed in and
the aspen seemed to laugh
and dance in the orange glow
of the setting sun. It was magic.
Our first trip to the Rim itself took us on the farthest reaching road,
passing Vista Encantada and taking us down to Angel's Window and
Cape Royal. Vista Encantada was bursting with wildflowers. Yellows,
oranges and even the bright pink of a prickly pear cactus flower
enhanced the rust reds of the canyon. The North Rim is not heavily
visited, and we were the only people at this lookout, gazing at the
jaw-dropping vistas while clicking away on the cameras.
Cape Royal, a massive lookout area, lies at the end of this road.
There is a charming paved walking trail through the scrub brush and
woods that leads out to Angel's Window as well as Cape Royal. We
couldn't believe that we were the only ones on the trail. Angel's
Window gives you a glimpse of the Colorado River if you peak
through, but once you climb onto the top of this arch formation you
get an unobstructed view.
As we walked we were overcome with the sweetest fragrance. A
trailside plaque told us that the Cliff Rose was responsible for
this heady aroma. We
breathed deeply and
walked slowly. We were
here at the perfect time
of year.
Returning towards the
buggy, we stopped at
some of the viewpoints
we had skipped on our
way out. Walhalla
Lookout is the gathering place for a daily ranger talk about the
ancients who lived in this region, growing crops on a plateau
5,000 feet below at the Colorado River in the winter and moving
up to the Rim in the summer. There were some Indian ruins from 800 years ago, including a granary where they stored seeds
for future planting. From where we stood we could easily see Mt. Humphreys in the San Francisco Peaks back in Flagstaff. A
200 mile drive by car, the mountain was just 50 miles away as the condor flies. I watched the clouds gathering over Mt.
Humphreys as the afternoon monsoons began to build, and
suddenly I understood why the Indians have always viewed the
mountain as sacred. From that hot, dry plateau way down on the
Colorado River, it would be only natural to believe that the mountain
held a mystical power to create clouds and rain. Those clouds and
their life-giving moisture drifted over the canyon and a light rain
began to fall.
Another morning we
walked the Transept Trail
from the campground to
the North Rim Lodge. This
dirt path hugs the rim and
occasionally peaks out at a
view that grows broader
and broader as you
approach the Lodge.
The Lodge was built in 1928 and reflects the elegance and simplicity
of that earlier time. It is a stone and timber structure with enormous
windows overlooking the stunning view. In the early days visitors
were greeted by singing staff members, and the first view they got of
the canyon was through the immense windows that drew them
across the wide lobby floor. Those windows are equally alluring
today, and comfy leather sofas fill the room.
A beautiful dining room also has towering windows that look out at
Canyon views, and it is impossible not to feel a tie to the past
when seated beneath these chandeliers.
The Lodge also has a sunporch with open-air seating in front of the
spectacular view. What a place to enjoy a latte, soak in the view, and
maybe even read the paper.
From the Lodge we wandered out on the paved Bright Angel Point
trail. This is a pretty walk that takes you to the very end of the
peninsula that the North Rim Village is built on.
We clambered up onto the towering rocks to check out the many
views. At the end you can see the widest part of the Canyon laid
out before you, stretching 21 miles to the South Rim. We were
able to make out the tower at Desert View but couldn't see the
other buildings on the South Rim. The immensity, colors and
shapes were a feast for the eyes.
We felt very blessed to be able to stay in the area for three
weeks. After each visit to the Rim we would spend a day or
two back at the trailer looking at our photos, absorbing the
experience. There is a lot to see in the Kaibab National Forest
as well, and we did a lot of cycling and hiking, checking out the
maze of dirt roads in the area.
As we stayed more and more flowers began to bloom and on one
hike we found ourselves in a lush bed of lupines. There was a
variety of shapes and hues, and we came back to this area several
times to enjoy the rich colors. A little further down this road we
found bunches of yellow flowers that grew in clumps, like nature's
perfect little bouquets.
Mark noticed these little black butterflies
zipping around us periodically, and one
finally stopped long enough for him to get
its picture.
We drove out to Point Imperial and hiked a portion of the
Ken Patrick trail to the south. From that viewpoint you can
see the Little Colorado River in the distance. It is a sheer
canyon that looks like a crack in the flat landscape. It
almost looks like a child took a stick and dragged it across
the sand in jagged motions, leaving a deep trench in its
wake.
Point Imperial is not
hard to miss. As we
walked along the trail
we saw it shrinking in
the distance behind us. There were many wonderful old trees and tiny yellow and
red flowers along the route. We felt so grateful to be alive to be able to experience
these wonders.
It was hard to leave our little paradise in the woods at the Grand Canyon, but the
monsoons turned nasty and we found ourselves in sweatshirts and long pants for
several days in a row. We even got hailed on twice -- pea-sized hail that piled up
on the ground for an hour before melting. We hadn't seen everything at the North
Rim, but we always leave a few discoveries for future visits. We wanted to head a
little further north towards Kanab and Bryce Canyon in Utah.