South to the North Rim

We got up early and visited the Human History Museum in Zion National Park - it has excellent displays on the Native groups in the canyon, how they lived, and the artifacts found, the early explorers and the settlers who farmed the lower canyon before it became a park. Then we headed east on the amazing Zion - Mt. Carmel road - up the many switchbacks to the mile long tunnel built in the late '20's, through one more tunnel and out into a slightly different landscape - one with pine trees and less red sandstone.
At the junction we headed south, stopping at the Western town of Kanab, where we had lunch at the Trail's End restaurant, and were startled to see that the waitresses wore, along with their jeans and western shirts, leather holsters with six-shooters!
Heading south again, the land became more forested, and we noticed aspen and pine trees. Soon we were at the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park where the sign told us that the Park campground was full, so we turned around and drove 4 miles back to a Forest Service campground, where we found a nice spot in the pine trees.
Back in the park, we drove to the old Grand Canyon lodge; from the back (main) entrance you don't realize that it's on the very edge of the canyon; it's when you enter, and walk down the stairs to the enormous sun room, with its huge windows and panoramic views of the canyon, that you see you're on the rim all right! It took our breath away. We hiked out to Bright Angel Point and got back to the Lodge in time for a ranger talk on Condors and other birds.

Grand Canyon sunset - North Rim

Later we waited on the Lodge patio, with dozens of others, for the sun to go down; it seemed that every minute the sun and shadows in the canyon changed; B took many photos of the ever changing sky.