Going to the Rim!

It was still dark when we packed the rv and headed out of Bryce Canyon NP. We emptied our black and grey tanks, filled the freshwater tank and stopped at the gas station to check our tire pressure. By the time we were headed south on UT 89, the sun was coming up above the mountains. We still knew we wouldn't make it to Kanab for the 'Wave' lottery that morning. We did arrive by 9:30 and were able to find out more about the lottery to walk the 'Wave.' The ranger told us that there were 59 entries for the lottery that morning---whew! That means 59, but more likely 118 people were vying for the 10 spots available in the lottery. She also told us that on most days there are more entries than 59! Bob and I decided that we would rather take our chances another time and on we drove---North Rim of the Grand Canyon, here we come!

We had everything we needed for a trip to the North Rim. On our way we stopped at Jacob Lake to look at the Kaibab National Forest Visitor Center. The lady running the center was not very helpful. She told us everything at North Rim was closing at noon that day. She didn't want to answer questions about dispersed camping in the area. She was just unfriendly.

We continued our drive to North Rim--it is 41 miles from Jacob Lake, the closest village. At the gate, we asked the ranger about closures and he told us everything was still open for the day. So on we went to North Rim Campground. When we registered we could only register for one night as it was the last day for  work kampers.

After setting up in a great site for solar, we realized that we were back in Arizona and they don't honor daylight savings time so we could still make it to the lodge for lunch! This is the front entrance to the lodge. Looks pretty simple, but once you enter, you see the Grand Canyon through all the back windows.

We had a good lunch at the lodge and found out they would remain open through breakfast the following morning. After lunch we walked through the sitting area and out onto the back porch/balcony. What a view!

That evening we drove to Cape Royal Point to view the sunset. The road to Cape Royal is very narrow and winding. The views along the way are awesome! We took the trail out to the point to watch the sunset. Along the way we stopped at Angel's Window. The window in the rock is in the lower right corner. There is a trail that goes on top the rock.

Bob and I both felt a little shaky looking over the edge above Angel's Window. It was definitely a narrow rock far above the canyon floor. Did I mention that it was far above the canyon floor? Well, it was!

We continued on the trail looking at all the overlooks--some had railings, some didn't!

We enjoyed our evening walk to the point.

Bob has stopped carrying the tripod with us, so most of the pictures you see of us both were taken with the camera resting on something flat--in this case a rock.

 The sunset was gorgeous! We took lots of pictures, but this is the one I chose to publish.

 The drive back to the rv on the narrow, winding road was a little hairy. We made it back in one piece and didn't see any deer along the way, thank goodness!

The next day we hiked Transept Trail from the campground to the lodge. This is the view as you get on the trail just across from our campsite.

The trail wanders through the woods until it gets near the lodge.

At the corner of the lodge there is a walkout to get a better view of the canyon. It is a long way down from this point!

We continued on past the lodge to get to Bright Angel Point Trail. It goes out from the side of the canyon about .25 mile. It seems like much farther than it is.

Once at Bright Angel Point the views are spectacular. You can see the roofs of the buildings at South Rim Village, eight miles across the canyon, shimmering in the sunlight.

 

From Bright Angel Trail took Bridle Path Trail back to the campground. Bob and I were both amazed at how well we did hiking (and breathing) at over 8000 feet elevation.


That afternoon we rode out of the park and did a little geocaching. One of the forest service roads we took led us to Saddle Mountain Wilderness.

The view was good from this area, too.

On our way back to the park we stopped at the only gas station around to fill the car. I went in to pay and the lady asked where I was from in Florida,. Turns out she and her husband were work-kamping at the gas station and they were originally from Sebring, Florida and that her husband's aunt lives in DeLand! What a small world. By the way, we would not fill the rv at that station because the price was $3.99 a gallon!

For our last day at North Rim we decided to do a long hike--Point Imperial Trail. Once again we took that narrow, winding road, but only a little over 7 miles, not almost 20 like we did to get to Cape Royal. The trail was also at higher elevation than we were accustomed to hiking.

 This is the sight most people drive to Point Imperial to see. Not many were hiking the trail.

We set off on the trail. Most of the trail took us through an area that burned in 2000. The aspens are taking over from the pines and the firs. About halfway down the trail you can see Saddleback Mountain.

We stopped for a rest where there were a lot of downed trees.

Our starting point was on the ridge behind me where the trees are growing!

It was a great hike! We did a little over 6 miles. At the end of our hike we stopped and talked with 2 rangers who were just setting out to hike to the Colorado River. They told us that in addition to the fire, many trees were felled by strong winds several years ago.

We enjoyed our time at North Rim, Grand Canyon, but it was time to move on to a new area. Our next stop would be back in Utah--Zion National Park.