The North Rim of the Grand Canyon:

It had been twelve years since Roger and I had visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  A lot has happened during those twelve years, but luckily for us not much has changed on the rim and memories flooded back immediately as we drove down the road to the lodge, above.  The north rim is not as developed as the south and the Grand Canyon Lodge is the dominate fixture surrounded by scores of small wooden cabins.  A camp ground further down the road with a general store completes what is available for the wandering tourist.  The lodge was constructed in 1928 for the Union Pacific Railroad.  The original one burned down in 1932 and was rebuilt in l937.

Views of the Grand Canyon are seen from walkways and terraces surrounding the lodge.  Huge windows facing the canyon allow you to sit in the main hallway or enjoy a meal in the dining room while taking in the majesty of the Grand Canyon.

We had experienced rain during the drive down through Arizona and the evening was overcast and threatening.  We, however, awoke to beautiful blue skies and some of the most amazing scenery found anywhere on earth.  We drove the 18 miles over a dirt road (taking almost two hours) to reach Point Sublime, then pulled out our camping chairs and sat in the shade of pinion pine for over an hour taking in the views and watching clouds form over the canyon below us.  Perfection!!

That evening we drove in the opposite direction to take in the sunset at Point Imperial and Cape Royal.  I'm hard pressed to describe the beauty of the Canyon.  Just take a look...

Above, an arch on the way to Cape Royal.

The sun starting to set at Cape Royal.

Leaving the Park, we came across a herd of "beefalo" grazing along the side of the road.  Bison are not native to Grand Canyon National Park, and, in fact, these particular animals were brought to the Kaibab Plateau in l906 to produce a hardy cattle variety through breeding.  The experiment was not economically successful and was abandoned several years later.  Since 2000, the bison hybrids have been traveling in the Grand Canyon National Park.  The herd now numbers more than 400 head.  I think we saw well over
100.