big hole in the ground, etc.

I really have nothing more to say about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, except that I'm SO glad I decided to go there and the long drive and waking up early were a small price to pay to see it for the first time quietly in the beautiful morning light.

The drive was actually really pretty, and it was nice to see the scenery at sun rise and again later in the day. I stopped briefly at Navajo Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in the area that spans a minor canyon of the Colorado--I'm sure it would be a bigger tourist attraction if it wasn't in the shadow of THE tourist attraction.

It's more than 200 miles from the North Rim to the South Rim, but since I was headed that direction anyway, I decided to see the South Rim as well. That was probably not a good decision. The canyon is stunning of course, especially since you can see parts of the Colorado River from the South Rim, but I quickly got annoyed by the traffic, enormous crowds of people, flat midday light, and parking problems. I had planned to hike a little bit of the Bright Angel Trail, but made a break for the exit instead. Someday I would like to go back and do some hiking or even one of the rafting trips, but that was enough Grand Canyon for me for now.

I thought I was too tired to do anything but find a place to stay and crash, but I couldn't resist following signs to Flagstaff's ski area, Snow Bowl. Naturally I went on the "sky ride" and was in too good spirits to be annoyed by the teenager who tried to explain to me how to ride a chairlift (it's like a moving sofa!). So I rode the moving sofa to the top, got an up-close look at the highest peak in Arizona, and stood at the highest altitude of my trip to date (11,500'). Sorry Molas Pass (10,910')--it was a close contest. Maybe next time. The high mountains and aspen forests don't look like they belong in Arizona but, as one of the guidebooks said, Flagstaff in general kind of defies its location. Not complaining!

If I hadn't just seen the Grand Canyon for the first time, this definitely would've been the highlight of my day:

I am now burnt out on pretty scenery, so today I'm planning to just kick around Flagstaff, see Northern Arizona University, and enjoy the sunny 75 degree weather before I go back down to Tucson. Lots'o'photos from yesterday here and here.