Clouds across northern Arizona

For the last three days clouds across northern Arizona teased the Grand Canyon with brief sprinkles of rain but mostly just a fabulous show.

Left the North Rim with a fellow Ranger Monday afternoon.  The other five of our Ranger staff had taken five days to hike rim to rim and we met them on the South Rim for two days of training.

Made a quick stop at Lipan Point because it was just too beautiful not to with tiny clouds tickling the tips of the temples.

It was a great training with lots of new information and ideas but did mean spending our days indoors.  By the time we’d get done with dinner it was either too late or we were too tired to get to the rim for what looked like it would have been gorgeous sunsets.

Then on the way east out of the park we stopped at Desert View Watchtower.

When Mary Coulter designed this 70 foot tower in the 1930s a “new” feature with reflective mica mirrors was added giving visitors an automatic filtering of views across the canyon.

As we walked to the parking lot this towering shape appeared above.

But the best cloud show by far appeared on the drive home with billowing clouds above the Painted Desert which may or may not have dropped rain to the ground.

Then a grand finale of crepuscular rays beaming through the ragged tops of the Vermilion Cliffs creating an urethral glow.

No time to stop so I shot through the window. Only brief sprinkles fell. I am so blessed to live in this spectacular land.