South Rim, Marble Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, North Rim

Desert View drive - not quite as hazy as yesterday.

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What a day! We left the Grand Canyon south rim and drove the Desert View drive again on the way out of town. It was not quite as hazy as yesterday, but certainly still not as clear as we would have liked. On the drive toward Page, AZ, we passed Echo Cliffs and drove through some of the most beautiful scenery. I will have to say that I will never call Oklahoma red again! Lake Powell can be seen from Page and we saw some HUGE cruisers. After parking our trailer, we headed back south and east toward the north rim. It was 101 degrees in Page when we left. On the way, we stopped at the Marble Canyon and crossed the Navajo bridge. The old bridge that was in use until 1995 is open for pedestrians so we walked out over the canyon to view the Colorado River 467 feet below. Or I might say that everyone else walked out all the way, but I stayed over the rocky area – not too found of walking out on bridges over water. We drove on past the Vermillion Cliffs and through rain showers (surprise, surprise). When we turned south at Jacob Lake toward the north rim, we began to see evidence of recent fire but not until about 20 miles farther did we see near total devastation. There were large sections where there was not one living tree as far as we could see. It was not the same drive I remember from before. We made it to the rim at sunset. Unfortunately, it was mostly cloudy, although we did get enough of a break that we saw a small rainbow. It was also 53 degrees and raining. One of these days, I would love to stay at the lodge on the north rim, as it is the MOST beautiful spot on the Grand Canyon. We got back to Page around 11:30 pm, ate very unhealthy food at Sonic, and went to bed. Tomorrow, we will cross the Glen Canyon Dam on our way to Bryce Canyon, UT.