The North Rim of the GRAND CANYON!

What a TREAT to spend 4th of July on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! Mike and I have been to the south rim a few times and I MUST SAY that I absolultely prefer the North Rim! It took a 41 mile drive in from the nearest town which had a country store NOT McDonalds! The south rim is so comercial. The north rim is much harder to get to but is truly pristine and still very natural. We arrived around 9:30 and got acclimated. Sat on the deck...stared into the canyon. All of us were hungry so we took note that lunch was served in the dining room at 11:30. At 11:28 I asked the host if we could be seated in a window seat to which he replied "certainly, but lunch isn't served until 11:30"...to which I replied, "that's in like 2 minutes" to which he replied, "no ma'am, it's 10:30!" HA HA HA! I had NO IDEA that Arizona, though really in mountain standard time, does NOT keep to daylight savings time. IT really CRACKED me up! So, we used our extra hour sitting in what the lodge calls the "Sun Room... it's a huge room with 30 foot ceilings and a big fireplace... hardwood floors and three HUGE windows that look out over the canyon. The room was filled with plush leather sofa's and chairs. We lounged for an hour catching up on our journals. It was possibly the most relaxing part of the trip thus far.

Thou it wasn't planned this way it was AWESOME for the girls to have visited both Bryce and Zion prior as CLEARLY the crescendo was the GRAND CANYON! They don't call it "Grand" for nothin'! It's two miles deep and 18 miles across! God's creativity and color palate continue to astound us!

North of the Canyon we went thru many miles of burn...

Also north of the Canyon we went thru these BEAUTIFUL meadows... no wildlife, but a great place for those Beefalo heards to congregate (Beefalo were breeded in the Canyon area as a cross between Buffalo and Cattle to produce a less fatty kind of meat) they now roam freely in the area. We were hoping to see them but never got a glimpse.

I thought this was a cute shot. Michael was showing the girls where he hiked to the basin of the canyon back in college.

I really liked this lodge. It's my favorite thus far.

OK. Within 5 minutes of us arriving, this is where we "parked". How could you not? It was one of the most picturesque places I've ever been.

I had to... it was just too peaceful.

This was such a great view spot...granted, it was on this tight little precipice...Mike and Kasey wouldn't even come down with us! Kristin and I are so much alike!

Mike and his girls!

I know this was past the little railing but I just HAD to venture out!

Me and my girls!

Me and my guy! (Awwwww.....)

We had lunch in the North Rim Lodge Restaurant. Yup... that was our view...

This room is called the "sun room". These were the sofa's that we sat in for like two hours, writing in our journals... in front of the girls are three HUGE windows...and the canyon... it was heavenly!

Check this out. This is called "Angel's Window"... we walked out on top of it...to the end...

This was Pueblo ruins from 1060AD that the girls thought was "lame".

Me and my "K"...

We've had a "few" of these moments!

Mike was in the bathroom so we played with the camera... not exactly what I was looking for but it worked.

41 miles north of the rim entrance is a little town called "Jacob Lake". We stopped for a pitstop but found that they had an on site bakery that made KILLER bakery items. We all bought one for a snack and decided that they were so AMAZING that we needed to get some for breakfast the next morning. We got two apple turnovers (my favorite!) and two cinnamon raisin and nut sticky buns with about a half inch of frosting on the top (mike's favorite). I found Krissy eating her apple turnover at the picnic table and she said to me, "this is the best breakfast I have EVER had!" So sweet! Literally!