Grand Canyon - North Rim: The Rest of the Story

We didn't actually see the

Grand Canyon until the second day we were there.

Manuel woke me up at 5am to see the sunrise.  I mistakenly believed the others would want to sleep in.

We watched the sunrise from Bright Angel Point, a short .25 mile walk down a paved path with a sheer drop-away on one and sometimes both sides. The sunrise was majestic.   It was everything you'd expect from one of the 7 Wonders of the World and totally beyond comprehension.

So it was, as we drove the scenic drive from Point Imperial to Cape Royal, and looked at the Grand Canyon from various vantage points through the day.  We saw majestic view after majestic view and could only wonder in awe.

There is a quote in the Visitor Center that aptly describes what it feels like to experience something so grand.

"Dimension means nothing to the senses, and all we are left with is a troubled sense of immensity." -- Clarence Dutton, early Grand Canyon geologist 

I know, and it is true.  She doesn't look especially troubled by the immensity.  She was in awe though!

We were pretty thrilled to get a glimpse of the Colorado River from this vantage point.  After all, it is all about the Colorado River, isn't it?  It carved through the uplifted Colorado Plateau over six million years to expose three of the Earth's four eras of time.  

We know that because this Ranger told us.  Plan to complete a Junior Ranger booklet and attend at least one program offered at the Visitor Center.  They are loaded with information.  We went to the one on the geological history of the Grand Canyon.  The most difficult topic, and they've found a way to condense six millions years of history into 45 minutes in a way that makes it easy for you to understand.

  

After the Ranger program, we started out toward Bright Angel's Point with the boys.  We ended up  turning around.  I just couldn't get comfortable leading them single file down a path with a sheer cliff  on one side and no railing.  The Grand Canyon is not child-proofed, and you have to make the decisions that feel right to you.

Instead, we watched the sunset form the patio of the Lodge.  The Ranger programs are held here, too.  If you can, plan to attend a program around sunset.  Bring a sweatshirt and lay dibs on a rocker.  Then sit back, relax, and know why you came to the Grand Canyon.