That was very unfair of me to not tell you anything about yesterday's trip. I was still quite overwhelmed when I wrote the entry yesterday. So here are the juicy details.

We left around 7:30 to the McDonald's around the corner, since we ran out of breakfast supplies. Henk enjoyed a biscuit and I had breakfast burritos, my favorite. With coffee. This particular McD does not have the good coffee - there are a few of those left in the country (rolling eyes)  and we find one of them regularly... Then we were off again just before 8: south out of Kanab on rte 89A until Jacob Lake, then rte 67. The ground rises - sloping in general as well as in jumps through rock layers. Once we were starting to go up, still on rte 89A, we kept looking behind us, because there is a sweet spot somewhere, where you can see five major geological layers all at the same time - with binoculars or a zoom lens, if the weather is just right. It wasn't though, clouds coming in from the north. But we got some pictures and Henk did a panoramic video from right to left, of the vermilion cliffs with other colored cliffs in front and behind them. Btw, these five layers, that is what they call "The Grand Staircase". Chocolate, vermillion, white, and farther away where we couldn't see because of the clouds, grey and pink cliffs. We wouldn't know this stuff but I just looked it up in the book we got the other day...
After driving south for a while we crossed back into Arizona and a bit later we were in Kaibab National Forest. Lots of pine trees and junipers and on and off large burnt areas, both recent and longer ago. Apparently they use fire to rejuvenate the forest and improve the plant variety. Looked sad though. Then we topped a high point - 8840 feet - and shortly after that the road ran through a very, very long mountain meadow. We saw two deer in the distance at the edge of the pines but no other animals. There was a sign about bison and we were hoping, but no luck. Eventually, at the end of this very, very long meadow, was the North Rim Entrance station where Opa Henk got his senior pass. Entry would have been $ 25 otherwise, so we're doing well - he needs to get used to being called a senior, but he likes the discount...
Once in the park we first drove to the visitor center at the North Rim and walked out onto a path to Bright Angel Point. This is on the very tip of one of those pointy rock formations with the ground falling away on all sides. The views are so breathtaking and the colors so unbelievable! The dark green trees clinging in the most unlikely places, the blue and purple shadows, the sheer red, pink, white, cream cliffs, the pinnacles, the immense broken off rock sections... We could also see where the south Rim village is, sort of a dark smudge on the upper rim, but too far too make anything out. We were here still plenty early so the colors were great. I keep saying that, repetitively over and over ;), but it makes a real difference. You can tell from the first two pics from yesterday (copied over above).
 After Bright Angel Point we drove a little bit back and then to the east, to Point Imperial (views to the east) and from there down to Cape Royal (views southwest). It was late in the morning by the time we got there and the sun was out in full force. I tried to adjust the brightness of this third picture but the result is, well, hmm. The sky turned pink for some reason. All the same you can see how wide the canyon is! There is a cool "window" in the rock wall, too, and the trail goes right over it. This little rock squirrel was sitting in the sun there with its lunch and let Henk take this picture but wouldn't turn around.
Through the window in the rock we could see the Colorado River, but it doesn't show in the pictures. From Point Imperial to the east we could see the Vermillion Cliffs we drove past on our way north from Flagstaff, but that doesn't show either. Oh well. We knew it was there.
We drove back the same way we came and counted ourselves lucky we got the "Staircase" picture in the morning, because there were a lot more clouds. And about an hour and a half later we were back at the RV.

Today we went to Zion N.P. but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.