CuRVWander

It's our kid's first day on the North Rim and if the weather is cooperative that means a trip to Bright Angel point first thing.  It's monsoon season so isolated thunderstorms and all day rains are a real possibility.  But for now luck is with us and we are on our way to one of the best overlooks on the North Rim. The quarter mile walk to the point takes you down the rim of Roaring Springs Canyon.  When the wind is just right you can hear the springs almost two thousand feet down. Just a little further out and it is possible to look to the southwest and see the Grand Canyon itself. Justin quickly established his mode of operation for the whole visit, if there was an edge he was going to get out on it. Scrub oak and juniper grow right out of the rock.  Apparently no soil is necessary for these gnarly trees. After telling the kids how breathtaking the views can be out here, they are finally getting to see for themselves. If there is an ...

It's 5:00am, almost seven hours before the kid's plane arrives but there is no staying asleep.  We are both just too excited and go ahead and get ready for the day.  Since my folks have made a two hour time change, they are up and around as well.  We head out for a place that is famous for its biscuits and gravy.  We were told that getting there early on a Saturday morning was a must unless you wanted to stand in line for a table.  It is called Mike and Ronda's: The Place . We did get a table right away and the four of us sat down with appetites ready for a carb-loading on the highest level.  But it was not to be.  It seems that the biscuits were not done yet.  We would have to wait at least a half hour for them.  Never mind that the place had been open for more than an hour, the biscuit maker must have been late to work that day and there were none available.  We did not want to wait for whoever it was to get their act together so we ...

My absence of writing for the past few weeks is not without cause.  Most of our days have been repetitive, scooping fire pits and checking campers in and out.  And there have not even been any interesting characters to write about.  We have entered the shoulder season, school is back in session and family campers are in short supply.  We are down to pretty much newly-weds and nearly-deads. Something else that has been keeping me busy from writing is the preparation for the arrival of family.  Our daughter and son-in-law have been planning on coming to see us at the North Rim since last year but were having a hard time putting a stake in when exactly that would be.  In June it was possible to pick a day (in late August) but lodging on the North Rim sells out six months in advance for the campground and almost eighteen months in advance for the lodge.  Cyndee started doing the only thing one can do, check for cancellations at least twice a day, every d...