As we traveled across my favorite part of the United States, the southwest, we didn’t have a lot of time to spend at the Grand Canyon’s north rim – just under 24 hours. Enough time to set up our campsite, marvel at the unusual looking squirrels, walk out to a few canyon viewpoints, drive out to Cape Royal for the sunset, and enjoy a late dinner in the lodge.
The afternoon views across the canyon were cloudy, with beautiful mist and rain in the distance.
We drove out to Cape Royal and enjoyed an epic view as we waited for the sun to go down, but the sky didn’t look very promising for a good sunset. Thick, gray clouds in the horizon towards the west were masking the sun completely.
The sky was still free of color in the last few minutes before the sun would completely set. We gave up on sunset photos and decided to use the last remaining light to take a few photos on the canyon ledge and enjoy the views.
A few minutes later we turned around and discovered that the sky had burst into brilliant pinks and purples that deepened during the few minutes it took for the sun to slip below the horizon. We got our sunset after all.
As we drove north out of the park the next day, we spotted a large deer grazing by the road. We bid him farewell and continued on our way into the morning.
