Bonus Chapter 6: That’s A Big Hole In The Ground
We toured the Grand Canyon all day. The next day, we went home. The End.
Wait, you want more? You’re killing me, Smalls. So high-maintenance.
Despite the crowds we’d seen the day before, we didn’t immediately go running off first thing in the morning. Julie and I got dressed and walked into the main lodge dining room. A sit-down breakfast is one of the underrated pleasures of life that we don’t indulge in nearly enough, so we’d decided to treat ourselves. As luck would have it, we were among the first people there and got a seat right by the big observation window.
Julie got some sort of omelet and I went with a simple order of pancakes and bacon. It’s hard to screw up breakfast food, and I’m happy to report that this was a very good meal. Better than dinner, I’d say. And certainly cheaper and less crowded.
The early morning light on the canyon just outside was gorgeous.
We got on the road, still far ahead of any crowds that morning. At the North Rim, there is one scenic drive you can take to explore the area (actually two, but only one road is paved and passable for most vehicles). It extends for 20 miles to a viewpoint at Cape Royal, with a few overlooks along the way. We followed the same strategy that we had at Bryce Canyon—driving all the way to the end and then working our way back.
It's a very narrow road at points, so I highly recommend playing the Indiana Jones theme on full blast as you navigate it for the best experience.
When we reached the parking lot for Cape Royal, we were the only people there. There’s a short paved walking path to the overlook, and the view there is spectacular. It was a magical feeling having it all to ourselves.
We stood there for a long time, just enjoying the view and the solitude. The Grand Canyon is a wonderful place for perspective. It’s hard to stand there and not feel completely insignificant next to such a vast piece of creation. But that’s a good thing—it can help to remind us that we’re not all that important. Being humbled can be a good thing.
Nearby, there’s a side trail that takes you to Angel’s Window. This is an arch formation jutting out into the side of the canyon, and the trail actually takes you out to a viewpoint on top of the arch. There are also a couple of overlooks back near the parking lot where you can see the arch from a distance.
Here it is from below:
And from the trail:
Julie is not a big fan of steep drop-offs (pretty sure this is why she settled in Delaware), so she wasn’t really feeling this side trail. But I said something to the effect of, "
Get moving, chicken! How often do you get the chance to stand on a natural arch?” and to her credit, she willed herself out there. She didn’t go anywhere near the railing, but she was out there.
While we stood there, we could see people on the trail and waved to them. Later, they returned the favor when we had switched positions.
Just down the road was the Walhalla Overlook, which yielded some more nice views as well as the foundation of an old native American settlement up on the ridge.
We stopped at Roosevelt Point and took a short trail that was supposed to lead to a bench and a nice view, but while the view was decent, we never found the bench. Maybe the Grand Canyon has a termite problem?
The final stop on the way back was a spur road that took us to Point Imperial, the highest point in Grand Canyon National Park. From here, you get a great view to the Northwest. The colors are striking, as is the elevation difference between the two rims of the canyon.
If you looked far enough to the northwest, you could see the very beginning of the Grand Canyon as the Colorado River flows out of the desert.
From there, we returned to the lodge for lunch. We stopped in the snack bar, called Deli at the Pines. Julie got a cup of elk chili and I got a massive BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Both were pretty tasty. We hung out at these tables by the bar.
After lunch, we did some more gift shop reconnaissance. And then we were presented with an unusual vacation dilemma for us: we had an entire afternoon, and nothing planned. And no TV! Oh, the humanity!
We took a walk on the short trail out to Bright Angel Point.
Then we wandered back to the lodge. And as it just so happened, we were early enough that the chairs on the veranda hadn’t filled up yet.
So Julie snagged a couple while I ran back to the cabin and grabbed our books. And then we spend the afternoon relaxing on the veranda, catching up on our reading and enjoying the view.
You could do worse.
In the late afternoon, we decided we’d had enough of sitting around and decided to hunt down some food for dinner. I started to get my bow and arrows out of the car, but then Julie reminded me that there was an easier option at the lodge. Every day around 4:30 p.m., a lodge employee will set up a kiosk in the main sitting room and offer a “veranda menu”. You can place food orders there, and then he gives you a number and you go out onto the veranda and sit at a table. A server will bring your food to you right there and you can enjoy dinner on the veranda with the Grand Canyon looming before you. It’s a limited menu, but the view can’t be beat.
I had a ginormous brisket sandwich and Julie had a quesadilla.
And for my money, I liked this dinner better than the one in the dining room. I loved being outside with that view.
We debated driving back out to Cape Royal for the sunset. But as we watched the skies, it appeared that some storms were building up to the west.
So we decided it wasn’t worth the drive if the sunset was going to be a dud. Instead, we just hung around at the lodge.
It may have been an anticlimactic end to our getaway, but we were ok with that. After 20 years and 4 kids, having time that is both free and quiet is a rarity. We don’t get to be alone or relax very often, so this was a blessing. I can tell you there’s no one I’d rather do nothing with.
Wait, that didn’t sound right. I’d rather do nothing with her than anything. No, wait—I’d rather do anything with her than nothing with anybody—I’d rather do anything than nothing with nobody or anybody—
Sigh.
We were alone. We were together. We were happy. It’s been a wonderful 20 years.
Thanks for reading.
Coming Up Next: Watch this space for a brand-spanking-new Disney World Trip Report! It’s Andrew’s first Disney World Vacation Spectacular!