We were planning a trip to southern Utah/northern Arizona to the canyon country. The main goal was to get to The Wave. So we got out of work early on the 8th evening and flew to Las Vegas. The wait for the car at the rental counter (Dollar) was interminable. Finally we got the car and drove out around 9PM to Kanab where we were supposed to spend the night at the Shilo Inn. The drive was less than 4 hours, but since Utah was on mountain time, we finally got there around 2AM. On Thursday (9th) morning, I woke up early and made the 45 mile drive to the Paria Contact Station for the lottery for The Wave.
The competition for the 10 walk-in permits for North Coyote Butte was pretty fierce. Finally there were 53 people who entered the lottery and we did not get the permit. I was pretty despondent after that. With a 20% probability of success, it was going to take quite a few tries before we would get the permit. I drove back to the hotel for breakfast and found that Nandana was up and ready. We took a leisurely drive towards the North Rim of Grand Canyon. The drive was beautiful over the Kaibab plateau and we drove through some beautiful meadows. We first drove to Bright Angel point and enjoyed the views. Then had lunch and enjoyed a bit of siesta in the car in the shade. The temperatures were very pleasant. In the afternoon we drove to Cape Royal and then to Point Imperial. Nandana loved the canyon. I had been to Grand Canyon North Rim before and was very disappointed because we had come from Zion and Bryce which were in my eyes more spectacular areas. But this time I was pleasantly surprised by the views. The afternoon sun threw the canyon into relief and there were interesting lights and shadows.
In the evening we were back at the Bright Angel point to watch the sunset where a large group of people joined together to watch it. It was a beautiful evening.
After sunset we drove back to Kanab. The drive was marked by a very large number of deer sightings. We must have had to brake 5-6 times to avoid deer on the road and encountered several large groups of deer.
The competition for the 10 walk-in permits for North Coyote Butte was pretty fierce. Finally there were 53 people who entered the lottery and we did not get the permit. I was pretty despondent after that. With a 20% probability of success, it was going to take quite a few tries before we would get the permit. I drove back to the hotel for breakfast and found that Nandana was up and ready. We took a leisurely drive towards the North Rim of Grand Canyon. The drive was beautiful over the Kaibab plateau and we drove through some beautiful meadows. We first drove to Bright Angel point and enjoyed the views. Then had lunch and enjoyed a bit of siesta in the car in the shade. The temperatures were very pleasant. In the afternoon we drove to Cape Royal and then to Point Imperial. Nandana loved the canyon. I had been to Grand Canyon North Rim before and was very disappointed because we had come from Zion and Bryce which were in my eyes more spectacular areas. But this time I was pleasantly surprised by the views. The afternoon sun threw the canyon into relief and there were interesting lights and shadows.
In the evening we were back at the Bright Angel point to watch the sunset where a large group of people joined together to watch it. It was a beautiful evening.
After sunset we drove back to Kanab. The drive was marked by a very large number of deer sightings. We must have had to brake 5-6 times to avoid deer on the road and encountered several large groups of deer.
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