Angel's Window ~ Cape Royal

Next stop ~ Angel's Window 

I think the thing I could not get over was how remote and untouched the North Rim is.
And you have to want to be there. You're never just passing through so you can take a quick look. And it has not been commercialized in the least.

This was our first glimpse of Angel's Window from a roadside stop.

We kept meeting up with two gals from Holland every time we'd stop for photo ops.

We'd wonder how the views could get any better... and they would!

How cool is it that you can see the Colorado River through the arch window!

In minutes we'll be walking along the top of the Arch! 

And the views would be out of this world!

As we hiked along the edge of the canyon to the top of Arch Window, 

we could actually see the raging rapids of the Colorado River below.

We are now on top of Angel Arch! Breathtaking views.

And then we hiked another half a mile to Cape Royal Point ~

where the views far exceeded our expectations!

We were told earlier in the day to be sure and climb out from under the protective fences at Cape Royal and walk out on to even more dramatic view points. (at our own risk of course)

So we did, when we saw our new friend Michelle from Connecticut do just that.

Michelle has not only been to the North Rim 65 times over many years, but she has hiked hundreds of miles through every nook 'n cranny of the canyon. She knows every thing there is to know about the Grand Canyon. We felt like we had our own personal tour guide. She could point out the names of every peak and where the South Rim Village was and the weather conditions that were headed our way. She was not only a wealth of knowledge but quite the story-teller. And you know how I love a good story.

I was able to capture her at the very stick out we had just been to,

and I'm thinking, I must be crazy to have just walked out on to that very vista!

What we didn't know at this point in time is that a tornado warning had been issued in the area, and also a severe thunderstorm was headed our way. We could see the storm clouds building all around us... and well, come on folks, the thought of experiencing a thunderstorm at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was a super exciting added blessing to an already awesome day. So BRING IT ON!