But before we got to the Grand Canyon we had to pass through Red Canyon which, believe it or not, is a Red Rock Canyon - one of the reddest we have seen though. What strikes us every time is that these are just roads - amazing scenery but just a means of getting from A to B.
The reason that we feel lucky to be able to stay at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is that accommodation is very limited. There is only the Lodge. The Lodge was built in the 1920's and rebuilt after a fire in the 1930's. It is all timber and stone and has very much an Arts and Crafts type feel about it. It comes with a hundred or so timber cabins built at the same time perched on the rim of the Canyon. Apart from a limited campground - think massive camper vans, not tents - that's aĺl there is. So there is no massive tourist infrastructure here, or telecoms for that matter.
The Lodge is a 65mile drive-in from the main road. And the main road isn't really 'main' or near many towns of any significance, so you don't really have many day trippers either. However the really important thing here is the dining hall with massive windows overlooking the Canyon. For us it was just great to be there. The Lodge only exists because of the Grand Canyon but it is a destination in itself. Sunset and sunrise are of course important and the Lodge comes with terraces for each - you did have to bring your own drink though - no moustaches waiters in white jackets...
We did go on a hike but it wasn't super. It would have been too much for us on a short trip to descend into the canyon in full sun. One also had the feeling that hikes were almost irrelevant, it was all about the views from the Lodge and the Lodge itself.
We are at altitude on the North Rim, approximately 2,400m, like Bryce. However Bryce was open all year whereas the North Rim is only open mid- May to mid-October because of the weather. This also meant that you didn't need aircon here!
The Grand Canyon is 'grand'. We only managed to see the bottom once and that was at distance on our short hike. Françoise found it very difficult to take photographs because of the scale - there was nothing really to focus on. It also became very hazy because of the heat in the afternoon. So despite many, many, many attempts, most of her photos have been subsequently binned. So we might have to come back. Again.
