Grand Canyon North Rim Adventure- day one.

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The Little Woman tapped me on the shoulder. “Look at the cliffs now.”
Wow. The sun had set, but illuminated the tops of the cliffs, the deep shadows giving sharp relief.
From Jacob Lake, our campsite, we followed the highway east to Cliff Dwellers. The name said it all. The vermillion cliffs towered thousands of feet into the air, looking down their noses at us. We followed the cliffs and rounded the end to find Cliff Dwellers. The little town boasted massive rocks below the cliffs that pioneers used to build houses under and around them. A prairie separates the cliffs, the cinnamon rocks contrasted with miles of yellow-green plains, occasionally sliced with deep chasms of dry washes.
The maiden voyage of Kevin and Sherri and the little pop top motorcycle trailer was uneventful, hallelujah! However, setting it up became it’s ‘baptism,’ as it rained the entire time. As we finished and stepped inside, it poured. But typical desert, it stopped and Mr. Sun made his appearance once again. Remember the dilemma of where to go? well, we’re at the North Rim area. The nights are cold.
What contrasts; Jacob Lake is at 8,000 feet, a pine forest playground. Weaving down the hill, we emerged into the plain, 4,000 feet lower, and a whole lot warmer. But beauty surrounded us everywhere.
We enjoyed lunch in Fredonia at the ‘Cowboy Butte Grill and Steakhouse.’ This restaurant played cowboy well. Sometimes a restaurant tries too hard for a theme, like a waitress trying to be Mexican with pasty white skin, tatted and pierced. However, our waitress looked like she really just came off the ranch- and she probably did. Tight jeans with rhinestones, a rhinestone studded belt buckle, and a cowboy print fabric apron rounded out the look.
A wall poster told the story of Butch Cassidy and his nine cohorts. What a bunch. Each picture contained a brief biography of the criminal and his- or her- ‘conquests. Around four of them went to prison and reformed their lives. A few died in the ‘line of duty,’ and some just kept being naughty. Nobody really knows what became of Butch. The center of the montage shows where they committed their crimes. My, what a busy bunch! They robbed in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and all around the Western United States. We finished our tasty lunch, and back on the road, pondering the awesome landscapes.
I appreciate God. He does a great job as creator. The cliffs remind me of His imagination and majesty. Then at sunset, it was like God said, “So, you think that’s pretty cool? Watch this.” And He astonished us with a gorgeous sunset. The clouds that lurked around us, threatening to unload on us all day, now seemed to stand still for the light show. Some sunsets come and go rather quickly, but this one hung on and changed for the better part of an hour. Formerly white and grey clouds became red orange flaming infernos, with highlights of yellow around the edges.
We cruised back to the little trailer, and the air is sporting a bit of a chill. Hmm. We’ll see how tonight goes. We also have one flashlight for a light source. And the computer screeen, of course. How ironic.
The campground is… well different. Since it’s the only one for miles, it cost $34/ night. For power, water, a picnic table and a(relatively)flat spot. Sheesh! I stayed at Motel 6 for $42. $2.25 for 5 minutes of a shower. And the ‘bathrooms’ (outhouses) have adjacent sinks. Right. Outside, 2 are ‘out of order.’ Well, it is pretty anyway.
One more day. One more adventure.