Grand Canyon North Rim: A symphony of solitude

After a nice overnight in Page, AZ, I traveled west to my only destination of the day...the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.  I've never visited this part of the park and I'm not alone.  Because the South Rim is more accessible, 90% of visitors to the park choose to go there.  That leaves the North Rim less crowded and much more quiet, especially this time of the year.  When I arrived at the North Rim Visitor Center parking lot, there were people around, but it was far from busy.  After a quick lunch, I headed out on the half mile Bright Angel Point Trail.  Along the way, a small butterfly caught my eye.  As I was trying to get a good photo of it, a chipmunk begged for attention.  I ended up getting a not-so-good pic of the skipper butterfly, and a great shot of the Uinta Chipmunk!

Even though the Bright Angel Point overlook is probably the most popular at the North Rim, I thought the views at other overlooks were even better.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  We'll start with Bright Angel Point here.

Things were a bit hazy due to air pollution from local power plants, and urban pollution from as far away as Mexico and California.  Still, the views were breathtaking.  Next, I drove about 20 miles east to Cape Royal.  Here are a couple more panoramic shots from the viewpoint there, and the adjacent Angels Window. 

You can see the Colorado River in the background of the Angels Window photo.  On the way back to the parking lot, I snapped a pic of the actual Angels Window...the rock I was standing on earlier.

As I traveled back the way I came, I stopped at two other overlooks, Walhalla and Vista Encantada.  Each had almost completely different views of the canyon.

So, that was my day, and it was a pretty awesome day.  About my only regret is that I wish it had been sunnier, especially in the afternoon.  Tomorrow will be my last hiking day of my road trip.  I'll keep my destination secret for now.  The forecast says it will be cloudy, but I won't let that put a damper on my plans...I hope.