Day 12: Grand Canyon North Rim

[gfycat data_id="BraveAbsoluteHawaiianmonkseal" data_autoplay=true data_controls=false]

Greetings from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! When we left the hotel in Flagstaff this morning, we weren’t too sure how the day was going to pan out – thanks to leftover hurrican remnants in the Pacific, the southwest has had record flooding. Were were scheduled to go jetskiing on Lake Powell today, but given the stormy weather, that was a wash. We decided we’d give the North Rim of the Grand Canyon a try, despite the long drive and forecasted weather.

The North Rim is really out there – no wonder it only receives 10% of all Grand Canyon traffic. The drive in is kind of funny – it’s a long drive on a flat plateau with open range cattle grazing on the side of the road. Absolutely no cell phone reception. It was raining steadily and fog everywhere. We were starting to have second thoughts about our plan and head back to where we’d be staying for the night to catch a movie or something.

At the visitor’s center, we spoke with a ranger who was very excited about the weather. She urged us to “just wait” because if the sun did come out it would result in some pretty awesome views. JD shot a cool video of the temperature inversion created by the canyon manipulating the clouds in some pretty fantastic ways.

Check out this panorama – we happen to think she was right.

We drove out to Point Royal and Point Imperial (highest point on the canyon rim at 8,800 ft.) to watch the sun poke through the clouds. We met a cool couple from Belgium and compared notes about our west coast travels. Everyone was so thrilled that the rangers were right and that our patience would be rewarded. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the north rim. You could enjoy quiet, unadulterated views, free from the busloads of tourists the descend upon the South Rim. Sure, it was a haul to get there, but you’re still looking at the same canyon, and being able to experience it without people pushing you out of the way to get their picture taken before the shuttle bus leaves made it a truly special experience. The cliche of “there’s a silver lining in every cloud” really came true for us today!

[pe2-gallery album=”http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/116540931850597192007/albumid/6057282952161526769?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo” ]