First Day Exploring Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim

Leave Kanab Utah. 6:42 am Utah time, 5:42 am Arizona time.
Partly cloudy, dulls the red rock, but sun rays streak and shimmer in the early morning.
Coffee at Jakie Leigh’s Bakery.

Street plaque commemorates the movie filming of Apple Dumpling Gang and Don Knotts.
Color Mountain Motel
Purple Sage Inn

Kanab Airport
Flagman. Traffic stops.
Time to study the layers of rock – red, yellow, white, with forest lines interspersed between the colors.

Arizona State Line.
Fredonia Arizona
Buckskin Tavern State Line Bar
Welcome to Arizona Strip District Public Lands

Moose Next 12 Miles.
Entering Kaibab National Forest
Fire Danger Moderate.
Why did the coyote cross the road?

Kaibab Lookout. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1938

Jacobs Lake 9 Miles
Flagstaff 173 Miles
Open range next 10 miles.

Stands of naked lodgepole pines, forest fire remnants from 2008.
Please Do Not Litter.

Junction 67. Jacobs Lake.
Jacobs Lake Inn. Elevation 7925.
cafe – motel – curios – store

Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center.
“In Memory of Theodore Roosevelt. “Teddy.” Protector of Arizona.”
Grand Canyon 45 Miles

Deer next 30 miles.
Cattle next 30 miles.
Don’t Drink and Drive.

Why did the chipmunk cross the road?
Black and white stripes on tree toothpicks, old fire damage.
Elevation 8400 feet.

Meadow, Birches just leafing.
Crane Lake, surrounded by a fence to keep the cattle out and allow the wildlife access.
Kaibab Lodge. No Vacancy.
DeMotte Campground. No Vacancy.

Grand Canyon 4 miles.
I keep reminding myself to breathe!

I am here.
Grand Canyon North Rim Entrance.
Elevation 8250.

Icy road next 11 miles.
Only a few piles of snow, deep in the cover of the forest.
Wriggly aspen trunks – snow pressure during growth.

And the North Rim opens to view.
I am standing at the edge of the canyon.

Lookout over the rim.
To take in this view would require a lifetime.
Grateful that I have even these two days.

Rocks, rocks, and rocks.
A geologist’s haven.
And heaven, too.

Condor ranger talk.
Park Ranger Gaelyn Olmstead demonstrates the proper way to build a condor nest.
Cliff edge or shallow cave. Scratch. Scratch. Done.

These rockers are put to good use.
Hiking is hard work. And glorious.
But at some point the feet say, “No more. Sit down.”

Sunset on the veranda.
Friends from the sometimes amazing social media introduce me to Gaelyn.
Nature lovers, photographers, wanderers.

We choose to sit and chat, watching the Grand Canyon.
Another reason that Grand Canyon is so grand – the people.

Sunset approaches, the canyon does its light show,
shadow, light, red, purple, yellow.
Sunlight on the Temple.

And the after sunset glow.
Grand Canyon – North Rim.
Views of infinite grandeur – the canyon, the sky.