Hello from the North rim

Busy times since Dick arrived. He spent most of Thursday hiking the rim and getting acclimated with the bus routes and the canyon locations. Thursday evening I cooked dinner and shared it with my neighbors. Dick got to meet most of the usual crowd and we really had a great time. Packed the car and left for the North Rim by 6:30 Friday morning. Our first destination was Page and Glen Canyon Dam. One of the first stops was the Super Walmart in Page. Picked up a few items that we needed for our camping trip and then into town which isn't much more than tourists traps, gas stations and fast food joints. We did spend some time in the John Wesley Powell Museum which was well worth the stop. Interesting pictures and displays about the Colorado River and Glen Canyon. We drove out to the dam and stopped at a few overlooks. I took lots of pictures and will add them to the blog when I have faster Internet service. The wireless network here is very slow and it will take forever to download pictures. We decided to do a scenic loop and drive into Utah on 89 North to Kanab and then South on Alt 89 to Jacob Lake and then the North Rim. Its was a beautiful ride with the Vermilion Cliffs on the left most of the way. Had a delicious lunch in Jacob Lake, a small community at the entrance to the North Rim, with a cafe famous for their cookies. Absolutely delicious!!! I had a lemon zucchini that I must figure out how to make. Something like a soft shortbread. Our site in the campground is in the pines and very comfortable. We got settled in, did a short tour of the park. We hiked out to Bright Angel Point and sat on a rock and watched the sunset, and then sat and relaxed by the campfire. At 3:30 AM we got up and went down to the Grand Canyon Lodge and sat on the patio overlooking the rim to watch the meteor showers. We saw quite a few and by 4:15 headed back to the tent. After breakfast this morning we hiked the Uncle Jim Trail, 5 miles round trip, and saw more wondrous views of the canyon. Back to camp for lunch and frequent visits from the local critters to include a raven, a Kaibab Squirrel and several birds...what opportunists looking for a good handout. Sara and Jess are due in this evening but its unlikely they will arrive before midnight. Dick is napping while I'm writing this and I think I'm about ready for a nap, too. I will update this when we get back to the South Rim and I can add some pictures. This time next week we will be on our way home...miss my family, friends and the dogs but would do this trip again in a heartbeat!