North Rim

Heading back south a bit from Lake Powell...

...we stopped at the Navajo Bridge on the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.


Forever energy


The North Rim spectacle:

A calming sight even for four rambunctious little bodies.



Don't be fooled by the foliage.
Just beyond that tree trunk and bit o' shrubbery is
a very high cliff.

Basically,
straight down.

I recently read about some of the most common reasons for people falling to their death in the Grand Canyon. As you can imagine, overzealous photographers have had their share of falls. Other noteworthy reasons though, that fall into the usual high risk taker category (males between the ages of 19 and 41), tell me that people in this particular group should all make great efforts to resist the urge to 1. urinate off the edge of a cliff, and 2. pretend they're falling off a cliff.

There's a whole book written on this subject called, Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon.

You really don't even want to look over the edge on one of these natural (i.e. no restraint features) trails.

But yes, I do suggest that you warm your chilled bones with some yummy tortilla soup,

because you'll probably notice a temperature change at the north rim.

I think cool weather makes all the difference in the world for our loving natures.

See how loving our children are when they're cold?


The spirit (akin to but not quite as sharp as the spirit of Jack Frost) just moved them to snuggle

and get their blood pumping.


A girl with camping hair that now doubles as a shawl--

at least before she gets it all cut off and gives it away to Locks of Love or some other charity.

Won't it make a nice shawl (or wig) for someone in need?

If there was a way to donate eyebrows, she's got a good crop that she could also share.

Hello, favorite pine tree of all time!


The magnifi-scent Ponderosa (a.k.a. Butterscotch Tree)


Can't you almost taste the butterscotch just dripping from this beauty? Well, the drippy stuff is the sap, but the bright orange part between the rugged bark is where you want to give it a sniff. Some think it smells like vanilla. Whatever the opinion, it's fabulous and gives its forest a gloriously sweet fragrance.

Smell all the Rosas you can find. Then pack that scent away in your little gray memory box and pull it out when you need a nature break.

Also, don't forget to file away the sound of the cool breeze blowing through all those long pine needles. It almost sounds like running water!

Onward we go to a most lovely little in-"spiring" city.