We, without knowing it, couldn't have choreographed the completion of our Grand Canyon adventures any more perfectly!!! I am so glad we spent the time we did in the South Rim BEFORE checking out the North Rim. The North Rim is about a 4 & 1/2 hr drive from the South Rim and although you're looking into the same Canyon it is an amazingly different experience! At the South Rim you can't escape the grandeur and colors and expansiveness of the canyons. However, the North Rim is a little bit more of an intimate experience...You are a little closer to it, or perhaps a little more IN it, so you are able to appreciate the architecture and texture of the Canyons all the more.
We had a 5 day stay at a campground 40 miles outside of the Grand Canyon. On the first full day we took Penny with us for our maiden voyage to the North Rim. She was excited by the sights and smells and was impressed with the beauty of the canyon.There were some places that required a little hiking to see the vantage points, so we returned the following morning without her to take in those amazing views. But then the next day Miss Penny came along as we road the infamous Cape Royal Road; which is the scenic drive within the park that takes you out to all the scenic vistas. This is a very winding and narrow road so it was an adventure at times - especially when coming around blind curves to almost be met head-on with someone who doesn't know how to stay on THEIR side of the double yellow line!!! (Needless to say...not for the faint of heart!) We didn't get to take in all of the view points because it was a hot day and we couldn't leave the puppy in the car too long - even with the windows all the way down and the wind blowing through. We did make sure to drive out to the end so we could see Cape Royal Point and the Angel's Window. We took the time to separately walk out to these vistas while the other sat in the truck in the AC with Penny. These were a little bit of a hike but definitely worth the effort! (Angel's Window is the last pic included in this post).
On our day exploring without Penny, we took in viewpoints where you had to hike a little to get there. It was then that we noticed the increased elevation here and it's impact. The highest point was about 9,000 and for being only a couple of thousand feet higher in elevation than the South Rim... we NOTICED! We got easily winded and felt lethargic the first few days - it was quite the little science experiment (without intending to be one)!
One sad thing about this area was our drive to the Canyon each day where we had to witness the damage that was caused by the Mangum Fire in June of 2020. It was the largest fire in the history of Kaibab National Forest. Over 70,000 acres of ponderosa and pinyon-juniper habitat were burned while the fire raged from June 8th until July 7th, when it was fully contained. Driving though and seeing all the destruction of the forests was really sad. Reading about the heroic efforts of the firefighters and fire managers was both mind-boggling and impressive. The saddest part of the whole story was that the fire started due to a campfire being doused out - but, not completely... I definitely will no longer feel like a big nerd when I obsess about making sure our campfire is OUT (with zero chance of reigniting).
And on a more positive note, one thing we were told back in February during our adventure at Calhoun Falls State Park in SC was that when we went to the North Rim we HAD to have some of the "world's best chocolate chip cookies" at the Jacob Lake Inn. Luckily for us (well, mostly ME) our campground was right down the road from said jackpot!!! We stopped by once while there and once on our way out of town. Karl was a good boy and only had one. I, um...shall we say...didn't!!! But I am indeed indebted to our buddy Kenny for the vvverrryyyy helpful, accurate and YUMMY tip!
EDITOR'S NOTE: When you see the picture (in the middle about halfway down) of Karl and Penny on the rock ledge and Penny is sniffing at the the edge... Here are the answers to the questions that I'm guessing many of you will most likely ponder:
YES I was having a coronary when he let my 15 year old dog near the edge!
YES we had the stereotypical husband/wife discussion...(Karl)"What?! Do you think she's going to jump??!!" (Kay) "No! I'm afraid she's going to FALL OFF!!!"
Nothing happened (except for my number of grey hairs increasing) - and Penny quite enjoyed herself!
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