FWT Magazine Issue 5 Fall 2016 | Page 31

Frontier Cabins at the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim, Arizona original claw foot tub, ready for a soak. Though Old Faithful Inn is the crossroads of Yellowstone National Park during the day, the overnight guests claim it as the sun falls beneath the horizon. The Old Faithful Inn’s Dining Room draws guests with a menu featuring locally-sourced ingredients and meals served on the signature Old Faithful Inn china. As the dinner service winds down, musicians entertain guests lounging in the mezzanines on each guest floor. The simple joy of playing a game with my family was transformed into the sublime by the ambience. Other guests read a book in a corner, shared the latest animal sighting over a glass of wine or addressed postcards to loved ones from original writing desks. Not to be missed, the best place to witness Old Faithful Geyser is from the second-story balcony of Old Faithful Inn. Grab a glass of wine from the bar and toast this National Historic Landmark in America’s best idea, the national park. In a landscape that always reminds me of a Native American blanket, I discovered a new treasure. I left the idling tour buses at the South Rim and trekked to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The journey had my 12-yearold son and I driving through fir forests and wildflower meadows. Located on a peninsula of the Kaibab Plateau near Bright Angel Point, the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim offers guests an original log and stone building with patios, soaring log ceilings and walls of windows to view the canyon. Constructed in 1936 by famed architect, Gilbert Stanly Underwood, the Grand Canyon Lodge houses the lobby, restaurants and shopping. The guest accommodations are housed in more than 100 cabin buildings featuring 218 rooms, next to the rim . Grand Canyon Lodge’s Dining Room offers upscale dining with soaring log ceilings and a wall of windows perched along the rim. I enjoyed a seasonal baby spinach salad with strawberries and feta cheese while watching the late-day sun race for the edge of the canyon. Outside, guests found a seat and settled in with a cocktail for daily sunset celebration. The exterior of our log cabin reminded my son of Lincoln Logs with its green roof and rough-hewn logs that have aged to burnt umber. Once inside, I opened the original divided-light casement windows to my private view of the Grand Canyon. My cabin featured a full and a twin bed along with a shower-only bathroom; covering the basics for my son and myself. A Hickory Furniture Company writing desk offered a landing spot for the in-room coffee and phone. FALL 2016 fwt 31