Summer Vacation Trip - Day 11

I made Mollie get up at 0600 and we breakfast at the Sunglow Restaurant in Bicknell (finished at 0745).  We left the hotel and stopped for a gas fill-up at Brian Farm Service at Loa (0755).  We then continued west, using GPS to cross the mountains (we eventually lost signal); we took many back roads (including UT-62) and made a brief stop at a roadside “point of interest” site in Kingston Canyon.  Eventually, we found US-89 and headed south.  Mollie mailed post cards and bought stamps at the US Post Office in Hatch (1110).  She then called her mother.  We talked about current events for a little while and soon found ourselves in a place called “the Arizona Strip” (just south of the town of Kanab, UT).  We got off US-89 and followed AZ-389 to Pipe Springs NM.  While there, Mollie got a NPS Stamp and we took a very informative tour of the frontier “fort” (from the Mormon Pioneer days) that was located over an important fresh water spring.  We saw many animals and were able to avoid the worst of the heat while we were inside the building.  The tour was so good that I filled out a compliment form for the guide, Melanie, who turned out to be an intern (!).  We ate lunch in the car (snacks, leftovers) and made our way back to Fredonia.  We then took US-89A toward the Grand Canyon and saw lots of forest fire damage on the way.  We arrived at the North Rim entrance at around 1345 and were greeted by a herd of bison right near the entrance.  Mollie was on cloud nine and we stayed for a little while to watch them.  We had another time change (getting tough to keep up!).  After short time, we arrived at the Grand Canyon Lodge at North Rim and checked into our room a bit early (1430).  Before we moved the car (from the check-in area to nearer the cabin), we had a little time to walk around and look at the Grand Canyon.  Some allergies and some fatigue made me sleepy so I took a nap in the room (1500 to 1730).  Meanwhile, Mollie explored the area, visiting the gift shop (she bought presents for her sisters and mother), asking park rangers about animal viewing locations, etc.  After I woke up (felt better), I was ready to leave the room (1745).  We packed up a bag for exploring trails near the Lodge and then walked down to take pictures on the Canyon rim.  We ate dinner at the Deli in the Pines at North Rim (1825).  I had some pepperoni pizza and Mollie tried the Elk Chili.  She told me that the taste was good but that the ground elk mentioned in its description turned out to be giant chunks (and she then complained that she only got three pieces).  We decided to get another look at the Canyon, which was easily done because the Lodge had trails all up and down the rim and even had nice chairs on the back porch that people could sit on and admire the view.  Mollie snapped “a few” pictures before we headed back to the car.  We drove by the campground and used their WiFi for a bit.  Next (2000), we drove back to the meadow where we had seen the bison earlier.  Mollie told me that she’d "learned over the years that animals are more active at dusk” and she was hoping for a bit of a show.  Fortunately, she was not disappointed!  We found a huge herd of bison that were hanging out near the road and frolicking about, with the males squaring up a bit and the babies annoying their mothers (Mollie took a four and a half minute video of this).  I actually had to tear Mollie away from these activities so we could go back to the Lodge (they were hosting a “Star Party” and I wanted to get there before it was too crowded).  I dropped Mollie off get in line for the telescopes (with views featuring Jupiter and its moons) and re-parked the car.  After unpacking more stuff and taking it to the room, I walked down to the Lodge to meet Mollie.  It was very crowded but the lines for all of the telescopes were either fast or short.  We were able to see Jupiter and its four moons from several different telescopes.  The stargazer volunteers were worried that the clouds would hinder our chances of seeing a lot of stars but, luckily, the weather generally cooperated.  The stargazers showed the crowd the Big Dipper and the North Star, as well as others that had weird names and we were unable to remember.  We sat on some cool Adirondack chairs, looking out over the Canyon in the dark.  The only negative was that one side of the lodge was lit up very brightly due to the restaurant (it was still open late).  We stayed on the other side of the building and really enjoyed the clear night sky with no light pollution.  Overall, Mollie was very impressed with the event and said she was “able to see more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life prior to tonight!"  We stayed at the Star Party until around 2145 and then walked back to the room in the dark (using a flashlight).  When I’d made the reservation at the last minute (after four months of trying to get something on location), I found out there was only one bed available.  I offered it to Mollie but she said she was OK with sleeping on a pallet.  I double and triple checked this but she said she was happy and would make the best of the situation.  With very little to keep us awake (other than reading), we went to bed at 2245.