Humble brag…I’ve been to the Grand Canyon…Twice! The first time I went I was a teenager and went with my family. It was an epic, if not a little ill fated, trip. We did the entire state in a motorhome. My father wheeled that RV through some pretty treacherous territory to make sure the family had a fantastic and memorable time. It ended up being both of those things even if the RV broke down at a gas station (called Jack Ass Acres…I kid you not) at the end of the trip.
The second time I went to the Grand Canyon was with Chrysa in July of 2019. As readers are aware we moved to Utah with the hopes of seeing some natural beauty, and we have, but I wanted more. I wanted something more…grand. I was doing a little research and found that the north rim of the canyon was only a few hours’ drive. Now, I had been to the south rim already, so I was anxious to see the much more rustic north rim. Chrysa was hesitant when I suggested the trip but I swayed her pretty easily. Her trail running icons have done the rim to rim Grand Canyon run/hike so she was excited to see what the fuss was about. With the decision made I went on-line, rented a cabin, and it was game on.
After a lovely drive we arrived at the North Rim Lodge and any hesitation was immediately put to rest. The lodge had everything you could need (including a very nice restaurant), our cabin did the trick nicely, and the views…the views, were simply indescribable. In fact I’m not actually going to muck up the pictures by diving into the minutia of everything we saw. I’ll let the pics do the talking.
I will interject just to add a little bit of information and maybe a tip or two. First, a little info/tip about hiking in the Grand Canyon. Do, in fact, take time and hike below the rim. It is absolutely worth it. The views change with every step and it’s wonderful to take in the unique feeling of smallness you get from being in the canyon itself. Do read up and research on where you want to hike. There are plenty of shorter and more accessible trails available by the lodge. Don’t overestimate your abilities! Chrysa bought a book about everyone who dies in the canyon. Not being aware of your limits was the biggest killer (also being a man…we die a lot there). For our hike below the rim Chrysa and I got a late start and didn’t bring much food so we just went to the tunnel. That was perfect for us.
Second, explore the area fully. Take a car ride away from the lodge. Chances are you will get a vista to yourself, or stumble upon a wonder that didn’t appear in your research. The lesson here, when you go to the Grand Canyon, it pays to explore.
Third, talk to the staff. We got invited to hang out after dinner. We also learned about working there, life there, and how we could someday be a part of it. We also found out about the local black squirrels native only to the north rim. You can even get a black squirrel pin for your cowboy hat. You should get that pin (all the cool kids are doing it).
I don’t want to overcomplicate things here. Much like the first time I went to the canyon we had a wonderful and adventurous time. I’m happy to report that it wasn’t even ill fated. Everything went smooth! That being said I am thinking about taking our RV, Betty White, and recreating my first trip to Arizona. We’ll be sure to avoid Jack Ass Acres.
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