Day 4, Sunday - Grand Canyon North Rim

I'm already getting behind. We were out until late last night, so I am already two days behind, and haven't had a chance to even get on a computer to post pictures. And there are a lot to go through. Most of the time we are out of cell phone range, I'll redo and add this evening if we get back in time and I can stay awake.

Today we drove to the Grand canyon north rim (2 ½ hour drive).Thanks for Nick for all the driving while the rest of us got to watch the scenery. After a light breakfast we headed to Kanob UT for our second breakfast. This town was a Hollywood favorite for filming Old West movies and TV shows. Many of the stores, restaurants, and signs showed Old West themes.

We crossed into Arizona toward the Grand Canyon North Rim. The scenery was a contrast to the layered cliffs we had seen yesterday.

We drove along a controlled burn area (news reports said it was 1200 acres) through heavy smoke.

We could actually see some of the trees and undergrowth burning.

It was difficult to tell whether the large expanses of burned trees were the result of deliberate burns or other fires.

There were deer- and bison-crossing signs, and we saw both.

Inside the North Rim Park, we followed a few short trails to various overlooks. The Bright Angel trail from the  North Rim Visitor's Center and Lodge has a drop-off on both ides, but is a fairly easy walk to a beautiful vista overlooking the canyon.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was a wonderful place to rest, get something to drink, and just look. It was a bit hazy, according to one of the guides, but still the views were amazing. Possibly the haze was due to some other fires (not controlled burns) in the area. 

After exploring the area around the visitors center, we drove to some of the other lookouts along the north rim. 

We had a picnic lunch. The birds obviously had had experience with other picnickers in the past.

Heading home after a long day. The bison herd decided to cross the road, so we he had a long wait while they all took their time figuring out where to go.