Road trip part 2: the Grand Canyon

We arrived at the lodge by the Grand Canyon North Rim after dark, and it took us a while to find where to check in. They turn the lights down low to keep it dark in the park, so it was hard to find where to go. But we did it and checked into our tiny cabin for the night. It was a real log cabin and pretty chilly until we turned on the little heater. We made some quick pot noodles for dinner and had a shower to clean off the long dusty day, and settled down for the night. 

The next morning, we slept so long we missed breakfast, but we ate some protein bars and juice and decided it wasn't too long to wait until lunch. Our first visit was a small trail to Bright Angel point which started right behind the cabins and overlooked the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It was truly immense and you could see so far and all the way down to the river flowing through the bottom of the canyon. 

We then took the transept trail which followed the rim's edge through the trees. It was a very pretty trail and less crowded than the Bright Angel area. We even saw a greater short horned lizard on the way. After a while we got to the campground and visited the general store to supplement our packed lunch. Mitchell got a bear claw pastry and I tried a packet of pickled green beans. 

We then continued along the bridle path to the start of our next hike. We started at the north Kaibab trailhead and walked downhill for just over a mile. There were a lot of switchbacks and we travelled down a lot on the way out. It was definitely worth it though, the view from Coconino overlook was amazing and we stayed here a while to admire the view. 

We had a snack and then made our way back up. Mitchell's knee actually does better going uphill, so we made it back to the trailhead quicker than on the way out. There was a mule tour following behind us (and we could tell they came this way a lot by all the poop on the ground) and as we got to the top we saw them walk by. As we were on the trail back to the campground, I thought I saw another horse through the trees, but without a saddle. As we got a clearer look I realised it was a deer. It followed us along the trail for a bit, before crossing in front of us and pottering into the forest beyond. 

We walked back to our cabin and sat outside on the veranda of the main lodge to watch the sunset. I got some slices of pizza from the deli and we had a nice evening watching the canyon change colours in the light. 

In the morning, we had breakfast at the main lodge, which was very nice and Mitchell was happy because there was an omelette station, where a server made omelettes to order. We were able to look out over the canyon while we ate through the enormous windows. 

We only had one full day at the Grand Canyon, and the next day it was on to Zion. But first, we had one more stop. We drove through the park to the Cape Royal point which was a 40 minute scenic drive. There weren't many people at this trailhead which was nice, and we walked along the short trail. There was an overlook first, where we could see a point sticking out into the canyon over a bridge. 

At the end of the trail, it opened up to 270 degree views of the canyon. It gave some more amazing views and the Grand Canyon was probably the highlight of our whole trip. 

After that, it was time to leave the park and move on to our next destination. We stopped for a snack at a viewpoint where we could see the grand staircase monument, and then it was on to the Utah border.

After we hit some towns, it was clear where we were, as there were several Mormon churches and the towns themselves were very quirky with antique stores and diners. If we had time, I would have really liked to stop there for lunch, but I wanted to reach our hotel before dark this time. 

Final part coming soon....