Just a Little Breezy

After a less than ideal night's sleep, we got up very early so we could see the sunrise. Given that by the time we arrived we couldn't see the canyon at all, this would also be the first time we saw the Grand Canyon. It was also a lot nicer around there when it was actually light out and we even saw three mule deer right by our cabin. We've been lucky with the weather so far and despite it being dry, it turned chilly and very windy the day we got there.  At that time in the morning, it had to be in the 30's with the wind chill. Luckily, the sunrise was fantastic and it was great seeing the canyon for the first time. We did a little hiking before packing up the car and heading out for some scenic drives.

We originally wanted to do some longer hiking but given the weather and our fatigue, that probably wasn't going to be a pleasant journey so we decided to do some smaller hikes along the drive. Those ended up being great too and the views from Cape Royal and Point Imperial didn't disappoint. We did have 50-60 mph gusts as we were up higher and each us nearly lost our hats into the canyon at least once.

The day ended with the long drive to the South Rim (20 miles from the North Rim but a 4+ hour drive) and this time we were smart enough to arrive in daylight. Our hotel in the South Rim is right on the edge of the canyon and we can see part of it from our window. There's also not much parking but Matt luckily found a spot right near our hotel so things were already looking up. A nice dinner later, we were in bed early and getting ready for our big hike on Friday.

As they say in the North Rim, "Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Note: It's quite possible they say that to many guests.

Hovenweep and Hardly Weeping

We've been going pretty non-stop with early starts and completely full days so it was nice to not have to get up too terribly early to get our day started. The first stop was at Hovenweep National Monument. This is another ruins site but was different in that it was basically a village located around a small canyon and many parts of the buildings are still standing. It was a 2 mile loop that started with a trail that crossed the canyon. It wasn't too bad (the canyon isn't terribly big) so it was a nice precursor to the Grand Canyon. The area was very nice and it was an unexpected gem in the middle of nowhere. It also gave us an opportunity for some good photos...

The next place was visited was in Monument Valley in Arizona. The drive in was through Utah and featured some stunning views of the various rock formations that have been made famous in various TV shows and movies (such as the place where Forrest Gump stopped running in the movie "Forrest Gump"). Unfortunately, to go to the Visitor Center where there were more spectacular views and even more spectacular restrooms, we had to pay $20 but our bladders thanked us.

We ended the day in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, it took us longer to get there than planned which means we arrived in the dark (though the parts in the light getting to the Grand Canyon were pretty nice themselves). We try not to drive in the dark in general but especially going into parks since it's pretty dark and it's hard to find things. After dodging dozens of deer and cows in the road in the 40 mile drive in the dark, we arrived at the North Rim. Since it was so dark though, we couldn't find where to check in and figuring our where to park was dicey at best. We managed to use our phones as flashlights and find the lodge where we checked in and got our cabin number.

I should mention it's extremely difficult to get a place in the North Rim since there are not many options. I checked daily for 6 months and only found the room about a month ago. It's a cabin near the rim that has two rooms and a bathroom in the middle. It's rustic but seemed ok in the pictures and got decent reviews on TripAdvisor. Well, getting there in the pitch black and lugging our bags a good way wasn't ideal and neither were the moths in our beds. Let's just say the girls had a rough night once they saw the bugs and mouse traps. We did all walk out down a trail to view the night sky and it was pretty amazing. We then turned in and hoped we could get some rest in there.

As the Navajo say, "Run, Forrest, run." Note: They do not say this.