With two days off this week, we needed to stay close to home and chose the North Rim for our destination. Having spent two summers on the Kaibab, there were places we wanted to see again--the DeMott Meadows, Marble Canyon, Bright Angel Point and the North Canyon trail--as well as to experience the North Rim as guests rather than workers.
Our first stop was Marble Canyon, a rocky peninsula jutting into the north-south portion of the Grand Canyon above the Cockscomb. The view is astounding and it's infrequently visited so one is able to experience a sense of solitude, peace and timelessness. Although weather.com's forecast didn't mention it, the wind was formidable, lashing the plateau at about 30 mph; we had trouble staying on our feet several times. The silver lining was the wind kept us cool enough to scramble out to the very tip of the peninsula where we'd never ventured before. We made sure there are still plenty of fossils then found a protected spot for lunch before continuing into the park.
The Cockscomb (those 'humps' across the middle of the picture) as seen
from Marble Canyon
We made the obligatory walk to Bright Angel Point; checked into our small, dark, uncomfortable cabin; took the trail from the Lodge along Transcept Canyon to the campground; checked out the camper store, gift shop and post office. We recognized a couple who had worked with us in 2007 but saw no other familiar faces. Then we briefly attended the ranger program on the patio of the lodge until we achieved the condition of 'medium-well' and had to move indoors.
On the way to Bright Angel Point
By then it was time for 'dinner on the edge.' One of our traditions is dine on an ooey-gooey pizza from the Deli at one of the picnic tables along the rim of Roaring Spring Canyon. I'm sure the ground squirrels enjoyed our meal just as much as we did!
After dinner the light for taking pictures from the viewpoints behind the lodge was better and we tried--when the Chinese tourists allowed us a spot at the railing.
Fred told me the evening ranger program in the auditorium--Searching for Life in the Universe--was very interesting. (I hadn't had any coffee for about six hours at that point, and as soon as the lights went out, so did I). We meandered outside to the patio for the Star Party but prospects looked dim given the thick cloud cover. Although the amateur astronomers urged people to wait for clearing skies, we were too tired and retreated to the small, dark, uncomfortable cabin.
Telescopes for the Star Party
Since Fred hadn't slept well in the small, dark, uncomfortable and noisy cabin and we were both sunburned and a bit queasy (ooey-gooey pizza? 100% increase in elevation?) we opted out of the North Canyon hike in favor of an early return to Kanab and a necessary trip to the grocery store. On the way off the mountain, we stopped at the Country Store, where we worked in 2010, but we didn't see the owners.
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