The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!
 90 Notable Nights

#103 Grand Canyon Lodge

11/22/2015

 

​The North Rim  
​

There's only one lodge within the park at the Grand Canyon's North Rim.  
Picture
That means you need to reserve a room about a year in advance.  Don booked our 1 night a year ago and we ended up with a month long road trip planned around it.

​
Perched on Rock
​
​
This was our first view of the lodge.  We parked and walked out to Bright Angel Point and headed back to see this view.  
Picture
What an impressive sight!  It looked like the rocky canyon just grew some windows and a rooftop!

A Windy Walkway
​
​
The walkway where I stood to take the photo was pretty exciting.  The wind was whipping at my camera, forcing me to wear the strap around my neck like a good tourist.  
Picture
Picture
We headed out to see the canyon view, which was stunning... and then as we turned around, it was the image of that amazing building that lured us back.

​Lodge Terrace
​

During our fall road trip, Don and I sort of became experts on lodge terraces and porches.  By the time we had reached the lodge we had already been impressed by some pretty good ones.  
Picture
But this view, the chairs and the surrounding stonework made the terrace on the east side, hard to beat.  Especially in the morning when we had it to ourselves. But why didn't they give us a fire in that gigantic fireplace?

The West Side
​
​
On the other side of the building we had to fight for chairs at sunset.  
Picture
Don and I caught some good ones earlier, with a little coffee to warm us up.

Sharing the Sunset
​
​
It was just September, but the air was chilly by the time the sun dropped.  But who could complain?
Picture
The jackets started to zip and cameras clicked... and everyone stared west.  No one seemed to notice the second sunset that was happening, in the lodge windows! 

The Lodge's Simple Side
​
​
To glance at the lodge's north side, you would never imagine the stunning limestone and log image on the other side.  
Picture
This view of the building looked like a really nice Boy Scout Camp, not an entrance to arguably the best view in the U.S.

Inside
​
​
It started to get cozy the moment we walked through the doors.
Picture
Leather furniture and woven rugs warmed up the walls and floors.

Looking Up
​
​
I figured it might be a  good idea to scrunch down in a leather chair to study what was up above! There were painted surprises on the beams...   
Picture
Picture
...and the lighting fixtures were especially intriguing. We got a seat near the window in the Sun Room, after dark.  The window reflection did an odd trick with the image of the oddly shaped light.  Its shape was repeated (in the glass) ... out into the night!

​Brighty of the Grand Canyon
​

Of all the curious things to absorb inside the lodge, the bronze statue of Brighty was my favorite.  I remember the children's book (vaguely) about the gentle little burro who was found in the canyon.
Picture
The photographs helped tell the story of the real burro who was loved by many, including Teddy Roosevelt. It was odd to imagine this furry little guy befriending so many, long before this lodge was even built. ​

​Built When?
​

This is the Sun Room, when there was no sun shining.  It looked pretty much the way it did when the lodge was built in 1927-28.
Picture
There was a fire that damaged most of the lodge, but they were able to rebuild using much of the original stone in 1937-38. It was pretty peaceful when we sat on the big couches after a late dinner. So peaceful that a lot of people were falling asleep.

Earlier
​
​
From the upper lobby we spotted the Sun Room when we first checked in.  You could see the canyon through the massive glass windows.  
Picture
Picture
This was our 5th National Park lodge on our road trip and the first that had lounge seating set up in rows, as if the windows were movie screens.  At sunset tourists became part of the movie scene, as they gathered at the windows.

Our Lincoln Log Cabin
​
​
There has never been actual lodging in the lodge, but there have always been cabins.  
Picture
Our "Western Cabin" was just steps from the lodge entrance and the sight of it with rounded logs, stone fireplace and cozy porch, just made me grin.

Cozy Inside
​
​
There was a spacious feel with 4 windows and the raised, log-beamed ceiling.
Picture
 The wood furniture was quaint, the 2 queen beds were cozy soft, the curtains on iron rods fit the scene.  And the sweet fireplace even had a heart shaped stone!  

​Cute Bathroom

​
I loved the green tile in the bathroom and the square wooden window.  The tub looked downright luxurious, compared to what we often find in a park lodge.  This was all was good.




Picture
In fact I was in love with our cabin, even though we had to get a maintenance man's help to get the key to work.  He worked long and hard, but it was determined that it couldn't be fixed.  He warned us not to close the door until we found a solution.

​
​The Darn Door
​

After many failed attempts we found ourselves on the cabin porch talking with a lodge manager, I will call Ms. Grinch.  
Picture
She had a similar smile and she played down our problem,  the way The Grinch did when Cindy Lou Who was concerned about her Christmas tree being taken away.  Ms. G. grinned and gave me her cheery solution. "We have no other rooms and we can't make your key work.  So just give a call to maintenance when you need to go in or out."   

​A Little Fussing
​

If Ms. G. had been kinder with her approach, I wouldn't have bothered. But she bugged me, so I spoke up in my best Cindy Lou Who voice, asking for some kind of compensation for our trouble.  Ms. G. seemed to have a hard time responding, so I suggested a voucher for dinner.  
Picture
She said she could do breakfast.  Then a while later she returned with another key to tell us the great news that they'd found another cabin after all.  We lugged our bags to a similar cabin, with a much smaller porch and Ms. G. gave us a chipper little smile. She didn't really say this, but her attitude spoke,   "Aren't we glad we have a nice little cabin now?  Let's not be complainers. Ba-bye!"   Don and I had some drinks on our Old Hickory rockers before heading back to the the lodge for dinner.   

Dining Room
​
​
Earlier I peeked into the dining room as they were setting tables.  
Picture
What an incredible view, with windows overlooking the canyon to the west and south.

Dark by Dinner
​
​
The dining room began filling up before sunset and by the time of our 8:45 reservations, the windows were dark.  
Picture
Picture
But our table at the south end had a great view of the whole room and we had the special treat of being served by Maria, who had served us dinner at Big Bend National Park lodge in Texas, 8 months earlier. We gave her a big surprise by remembering (mostly thanks to Don's memory) and then we enjoyed a good feast of Bison Meatloaf, potatoes and snap peas!

Pre-breakfast Hike
​
​
We woke early after a good night's sleep, despite the sounds of gusting winds and scampering squirrels on the roof.  
Picture
We headed out to Bright Angel Point before the sun rose and had some spectacular views.

Back to the Lodge
​
​
As the sun rose higher, we warmed up on the terrace. Then it was time to find out about  breakfast.  
Picture
I was pretty sure Ms. Grinch assumed our new cabin assignment had cancelled out our free breakfast.

Determined
​
​
If I hadn't been so irritated by the Ms. G's fake smile, I wouldn't have worried about getting a free breakfast.  She wasn't on duty yet, so I had to go through about 4 staff members before someone printed out a voucher.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Our Eggs Benedict and omelet wasn't really worth the $27.00 we should have paid.  But the view and our   gracious waiter made our breakfast perfect.  We tipped him well. 

What's Notable?
​
​
I may have nagged about that silly manager in my way too long write up, but she'll be forgotten and it's the breathtaking view that I'll remember!
Picture
Our hikes and meals and lodge lounging all included this stunning scenery.  And when we headed back to our comfy little storybook cabin, those were the images that were in my head... when it hit the pillow! 
​

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Ninety Notable

    ​       Nights


    My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains.    

    I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth.  Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years.

    ​The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures.  I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding!

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    September 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    000 Unusual!
    00 The Blog's Beginning
    0 Foreign Bermuda
    0 Foreign Chile
    0 Foreign Curacao
    0 Foreign France
    0 Foreign - Guatemala
    0 Foreign Italy
    0 Foreign Japan
    0 Foreign Mexico
    0 Foreign Roatan
    0 Foreign Thailand
    0 Switzerland
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    California
    Colorado
    Florida
    Georgia
    Hawaii
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Iowa
    *Lodges
    Louisiana
    Michigan
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Vermont
    Washington
    Wyoming

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!