Day four of our Grand Canyon itinerary finds us at the north rim. I awaken to a beautiful sunrise over Transept Canyon. The air is still crisp and clean, and hikers are out and about. The Transept Trail runs along the Canyon rim just below our cabin and I watch groups of hikers go by from my bed. I get dressed and head for the Lodge where I get a big cup of coffee and sit on the patio overlooking the Canyon.

I can see the fires along the south rim and the smoke melds with the mists in the Canyon. I sit in a big wooden chair and breathe in the silence. There are few people around it this hour, and the morning shade and still air are comforting and relaxing. After a while I buy two more cups of coffee at the cafeteria and head back to the cabin. Mom is still sleeping, so I close the door between our rooms and pack my suitcase. We have a long drive today so I'm glad I got started early.

When Mom gets up we drink our coffee in front of the Windows, taking a last look over Transept Canyon. Then we finish packing and haul the suitcases up to the car. We buy breakfast wraps and orange juice at the cafeteria, and eat at the tables there. After breakfast we check out and begin the long drive to the south rim. I don't want to leave.

We head back out 67, through the long valleys and beautiful forests. You can see areas that were burned recently, and areas that were burned some time ago and are beginning to regrow. When we get to Jacob Lake we head East on Alternate 89. Almost immediately were coming down off of the plateau. I keep going down until we emerge in the flat lands around Marble Canyon. To the north we can see miles up the Canyon that is lined by the Vermilion Cliffs. It is dryer here and the landscape is dominated by scrub. Washes cross the flat land, cutting it up into a slightly rolling plain. We wondered at how wagons ever made it across the numerous wash areas.

As the Cliffs proceed to our left the individual colors pass by. Reds, whites, and deep shades of gray are highlighted one by one. The softer materials have beautiful erosion channels.

After some time there is a sign to our left that reads "Cliff Dwellers". We stop here, where an Indian woman is selling jewelry. Mom looks at her wares, while I explore the dwellings. In this area, simple dwellings were built against huge boulders. Adobe walls create enclosures around the boulder overhangs. The interiors are simple, but cool and inviting.

Just a few miles down the road we cross the Colorado River near Lee's Ferry. Here we head south. Again there are cliffs to our left, but this time they're called Echo Cliffs. These are gray blocky Cliffs, totally different than the Vermilion Cliffs. They look like they're made of big chunks of gray limestone and they are beautiful in their own way. We continue south on alternate 89 until we get to Cameron Arizona. Here we take 64 West towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

There are occasional roadside stands with Navajo people selling their wares. We stopped at a large stand just before the Little Colorado gorge overlook. I came here in 2004 so was looking for this particular spot. At that time, we had driven past this large stand and pulled in a mile or so up the road at the overlook. We found a gauntlet of stands set up so you had to go through them to get to the overlook. It didn't look very fun, so we turned around and went back to the large stand. They had signs that said, "Friendly Indians" and "Wind Sale". We decided that friendly Indians with a good sense of humor would be better than the people that were set up to intercept us as we went to the overlook. I just dislike being forced into things I guess.

While mom bargained for some pottery. I talked to a nice man by the jewelry tables. He was interested to hear about the North rim, and I told him of the forests, the endless green meadows and the beautiful pine scented air. I was surprised that he'd never been there, but after we talked he figured he should go sometime. They planned to be in Tusayun the next day so I told him I would probably see him there.

We continued driving west until we got to Desert View and entered the Grand Canyon National Park again. We went to the Watchtower and spent a lot of time looking at the paintings inside. They depict Native American stories and themes. I climbed to the top and looked down over the Canyon. In this area, the Canyon has many dark rounded hills in the interior. At sunset they are silhouetted against the mists of the Canyon depths. The top of the tower felt like it was the domain of the ravens and the wind. It would be a good place to meditate if you could come when there weren't a lot of other tourists, perhaps in the early morning.

We drove the 20 or so miles to Grand Canyon Village, glimpsing the Canyon occasionally along the way. We were driving into the setting sun, which made the drive dufficult. We were happy to get to the Village and check into our room at the Thunderbird Lodge. We were hungry for real food, but everything was closed except Maswick Cafeteria. I made the dark hike to get a sandwich and salad. It was a little scary walking by myself for a quarter-mile each way in total darkness. There were no outside lights on a large portion of the trail, which was as it should be. Still, it was strange, and I carried my bowl of salad in such a way that I could have used it as a weapon if there'd been any trouble. Of course there wasn't, the people I did meet were wonderful and friendly, and at least I got a little hike in that day.

I got back to the room and we ate a little. It had been a long day so we went right to bed.

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