DAY 12 – Bryce to Grand Canyon North Rim (156 miles driven, 4.73 miles walked)
One of the comments that we have made while in Bryce is how much the landscape reminds us of the Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in Magic Kingdom. As we were on our way out of Bryce towards the Grand Canyon we passed through Red Canyon where was a sign for Thunder Mountain so I am guessing that is where the theme for the ride came from. It’s nice when a plan comes together!
The drive was pretty uneventful until we reached the Kaibab National Forest on the outskirts of the Grand Canyon Nation Park. This was the first place where there was a mixture of both evergreen and deciduous trees and the first signs of autumn too as some of the tree had changed a beautiful shade of yellow.
As we travelled further through the forest we started to smell and see smoke, which is never a great sign. However, in this case there were notices informing us that these were controlled fires and we shouldn’t report them. Nevertheless in places the visibility was lowered and then it started to rain and sleet which lowered it further.
Thankfully, by the time we arrived at the north rim of the canyon the weather had improved and was dry and sunny.
Before setting off for a walk along the rim we had some lunch which consisted of last nights left over pizza. One thing we have learnt on this trip is that you cannot go far wrong with pizza unlike other cuisines. We have found a couple of places that have done great pizzas with so much left over that we can eat for lunch the next day and with the exchange rate as it is saving a few pennies cents doesn’t hurt.
While on the subject of costs there is a big variation in the price of petrol gas here which has gone from $4.5 to $6.5 a gallon. When your car doesn’t get a great mpg and has a large tank you don’t want to be filling up at $6.50 too often!
We’ve actually been to the Grand Canyon before when five years ago we went to the south rim. The north rim is much more spectacular for reasons I cannot really explain. We walked along a path called Bright Angel Point trail which led to a view point. The path at times had sheer drops on either side with nothing there to stop you toppling off. There’s no internet connection here (which is why this is a day late) so I cannot tell how deep the canyon is but it is a bloody long way down (UPDATE! It’s a mile down from the North Rim to the canyon bottom!). I don’t mind admitting that my hands were tingling as I looked gingerly over the edge. We then walked in the opposite direction along the Transept trail which also had amazing views down the canyon. It’s incredible what the forces of nature can do over time.
Last time we visited the canyon we stayed in a place called Williams and came to and from the rim via steam train. This time we are staying actually on the north rim in what can only be described as a basic lodge. One of the advantages of staying here is that it is known for its dark skies. One of the things that I have planned for the holiday is to do some star gazing and take some night sky photos. The first opportunity was to have been in Death Valley which we couldn’t get to. Next would have been in Bryce but it was cloudy and now here in the Grand Canyon it is clouded over too which is a great shame. The final opportunity will be in Monument Valley on Friday but it is currently forecast to be cloudy and possibly rain too which would it out there too. I guess this is the price you pay for holidaying in late September.
Tomorrow we are off to Lake Powell.