Wednesday, June 2nd) – Kanab, UT (Grand Canyon)
We pulled out from Kanab around 6 a.m., heading for Grand Canyon National Park. After passing through Kanab and Frieda, we heading across the flatlands which were filled with sagebrush, before reaching the hills climbing into Kaibab National Forest. As we entered the National Forest, we briefly stopped at a scenic viewpoint to photograph the mesa back in the direction we had just come from.
We continued through the Kaibab National Forest, encountering numerous mule deer along the way. Just prior to entering Grand Canyon National Park, we passed large meadows and stopped at the Kaibab Lodge for breakfast.
After breakfast, we entered Grand Canyon National Park and drove gradually downward through forests of Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Firs.
We finally reached the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north rim, parked, and walked through the lodge to the porches on the back side. My first viewing was breathtaking -- it was so much more immense than I had imagined.
We finally reached the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north rim, parked, and walked through the lodge to the porches on the back side. My first viewing was breathtaking -- it was so much more immense than I had imagined.
We spent a couple of hours sightseeing from several of the overlooks at the Grand Canyon Lodge. Afterwards, we rode to the Point Imperial and Cape Royal overlooks also.
We returned to the lodge for a late afternoon lunch and John's 20-minute power nap. We spent another hour or two sitting at viewing areas around the lodge, before starting the trip back to Kanab, Utah. We returned to Kanab after 8 p.m., had some ice cream at a local shop, and made preparations for another early-morning start.
Without a doubt, the Grand Canyon was the high point of the trip, thus far.
