Grand Canyon National Park

  I was sitting on the deck of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim.  A woman pushed an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair up next to me. 
   "My daughter brought me," he said. "This was on my bucket list."
   Well, yes. The Grand Canyon is probably on everyone's bucket list but you probably shouldn't wait until you are this close to kicking the bucket before you visit. Besides, tomorrow is promised to no one.
   We went for the first time in 1988. Took I-40 across the Panhandle of Texas and northern New Mexico to Flagstaff, AZ and then up to the South Rim. Most visitors go to the South Rim. Which is why we don't any more. 
   The North Rim is about ten miles as the crow flies from the South Rim. But you're not a crow so it takes about five hours to drive the 215 road miles that separate them. Point Imperial on the North Rim is at 8,800 feet, about 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and a few degrees cooler in the summer. And it is somewhat less crowded. Used to be a lot less crowded. In recent years, it is impossible to avoid crowds in any of the national parks. Trust me, we have tried. On the North Rim, we used to stay in the very nice campground near the lodge. Now we stay in the national forest just outside the park and day trip in.
   At this point, you should open your thesaurus and see how many synonyms you can find for "magnificent." "Grand" is a start but words can't do the Canyon justice. For that matter, human eyes can't do it justice. Other places are, comparatively speaking, intimate. That is, the attractions seem to be close enough to be experienced personally. You can take a little walk in the park and get the feel for things up close. Sure, you can go into the Canyon but everything seems so far off and on such a grand scale, so to speak, that you never feel actually close to the Canyon even when you are down in it.
   Speaking of going into the Canyon, let me tell you about Dagwood. Shirley and I took a mule ride into the Canyon. They use mules because they are sure-footed, an important feature when eternity is just a step away. Dagwood did not get the memo. He stumbled. Four legs went four different directions. Pitched Shirley forward so her head was between his ears and her arms desperately wrapped around his neck. Grand Canyon came this close to being the last thing on Shirley's bucket list. Since then she has insisted on walking. Wise woman.

The South Kaibab Trail into the Canyon.

The Watchtower at Desert View

A hike into the Canyon is, geologically speaking, a walk back in time. The Canyon itself is about 70 million years old, the rocks at the bottom about two billion years.  

The Vermillion Cliffs on the road around to the North Rim.

Wranglers explaining the No. 1 Rule: Whatever you do, don't get off your mule.

Shirley and Dagwood in the early, happier hours of their relationship.

Nine years later, I asked the wranglers if Dagwood was retired or dog food. Nope. Here he is.

Point Imperial in the early morning mist.

Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim.

Angel's Window

Archeologists determined that this was an ancient Indian granary.

And these were foundation stones for an ancient village.

The Cliff Spring Trail runs beneath an overhang along the cliff face.

Ancient graffiti.

The trail is a little tight in places.