Soggy Day in the Canyon

(Continuing the recap of my mid-October trip to southern Utah and Northern Arizona...)

Well, the sunrise didn't happen.  Our fist night at the North Rim was a cold one.  I don't know exactly how low the temps dropped, but I do know they were below freezing.  I huddled in my sleeping bag, pulling it entirely over my head (a cold nose in the middle of the night is no fun!)  Smart enough to stash my down jacket inside the bag (thought it would keep my feet warm) I gratefully ended up draping it around my chilly shoulders sometime before dawn.

Foggy views

There was no way I was leaving the warmth of my sleeping bag to catch the sun coming up.  Besides, I awoke to the sound of rain pattering on our tent.  Cloudy, wet skies equaled no views.  Ugh....not again!  Why was it every time my hubby and I visited a National Park it had to rain?

Golden aspens frame vacant cabins

A full bladder finally roused me from my cozy cocoon, and I ventured out into a freezing wet morning.  Over breakfast, Roger and I discussed the day's plans in light of this new (albeit now becoming commonplace) wet weather.  We decided to drive up to the lodge area and see if there were any views to be had.

An especially bright tree

Although the canyon was cloaked in a thick foggy mist, I did enjoy exploring around the shuttered summer cabins.  A few aspen trees still sported bright, golden leaves and the muted light made their colors pop.

Standing on the lodge's wet patio

We walked around the North Rim lodge, all closed up for the winter.  Roger stood on the expansive patio trying to catch a glimpse of some scenery through the clouds.

Brief peek-a-boo canyon view

We did get lucky a couple of times when the clouds parted long enough to produce a teaser glimpse of the colorful canyon below.

These cabins had the best locations of all!

A few of the cabins were perched right on the canyon's rim.  Although we couldn't tell today, I'm sure they had some killer views.  I told Roger next time we visit the North Rim I want to stay in one of these.  (I'm sure renting one costs a fortune, but I think it would be worth the extra money)

Another misty glimpse

As we strolled along the paved rim trail, our friend the rain returned in full force.  Tucking away my camera, we beat a hasty retreat to the gift shop, where we killed time waiting for the showers to stop.  But the drops kept falling....and falling.....and falling.

The shuttered lodge building

My hubby and I had a decision to make.  We'd planned to hike down into the canyon today.  But this rainy weather wasn't exactly primo hiking conditions.  On the other hand, we'd driven all the way to visit the North Rim and didn't want a little wet weather to stop us from seeing the sights.  (We were from Oregon after all!) 

In the end, Roger and I grabbed our rain gear and headed to the North Kaibab Trailhead.  We decided no matter what happened, we were guaranteed to have an adventure. 

I'll recap our soggy hike in my next post!