Phil has been to the Grand Canyon twice: the first time just before he & I got engaged, the second was in the spring of 1998, when I flew out with Kimi, 3, & Shaun, 15 months, to join him in Scotsdale, AZ, after he had attended a work/conference thing. We drove up from the Phoenix area, through Flagstaff. On the way back we drove through Sedona, which simply floored me with its rugged beauty.
This time, we arrived via the North Rim, an area that is visited by only 10% of the people who go to the Grand Canyon. There is a huge impressive lodge that overlooks the canyons. Inside, among other things, is a restaurant, where we ate lunch at a table right next to one of the almost-floor to 30' ceiling windows. We could see the San Francisco Peaks, south of Grand Canyon, play peek-a-boo with the flat-bottomed cloud formations. Stunning.
Later, we decided to walk the rim trails. Shaun & I accidentally ended up splitting off from Phil & Kimi, so we each had a slightly different experience climbing along the Angel Point Trail & the Viewpoints. Fortunately, we all found each other back at the Visitors Center, so no worries!
Shaun had a lot of fun at the Visitors Center. There were some interactive "solve the mystery" type displays that taught about the area wildlife. He also read several of the nature books & stories while we were there. During this trip, Shaun has become quite the naturalist. At his request, we bought him a book geared for the young naturalist he has become a veritable encyclopedia, quoting all of the interesting facts he read about to us. I'm constantly learning new things from him!
Driving on, we followed the Colorado River up to Page, AZ, where Lake Powell sends its waters down to the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a parking lot-like campground that, despite its unattractive appearance, provided us a gorgeous view of the sunset. Surprise, a diamond in the rough!
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