We woke this morning in Marble Canyon to a stunning backdrop which we were oblivious to when we arrived late last night. After a breakfast buffet complete with pancakes and syrup we took a short drive to the Navajo bridge and our first glimpse of the mighty Colorado river. A few hours further down highway 89 and we bumped into the Colorado a second time only this time the river wasn't the star attraction.

The sheer scale of the Grand Canyon is breathtaking. It is impossible to believe that one fairly innocent looking river created this beautiful ten mile wide trail of destruction. We drove along the South Rim of the canyon, stopping at a number of viewpoints to admire the canyon from all angles. With different rock layers creating stunning vertical patterns and the river's tributaries carving their own tracks deep into the canyon, each stop offered unique views across the canyon.

We made it to the visitors centre by mid-afternoon, stocked up on snacks and plenty of water and caught the shuttle to Yaki Point to commence our descent into the canyon. The South Kaibab trail descends quickly (and steeply) into the canyon, hugging the canyon walls for the first section before reaching the appropriately named 'Oh Ahh Point' where the trail opens up to offer some fantastic view across the whole canyon. We stopped here for a picnic and knowing that no photo would ever do this breathtaking scenery justice we tried hard to etch the images into our minds forever. Next we continued further into the canyon to Cedar Ridge. This was as deep into the canyon as we could sensibly travel in an afternoon so we stayed for a while to enjoy the peace and serenity that lies within the canyons walls.

With the sun looming over head to warn us that we only had a few hours of daylight left we set off back up the steep trail and back to Yaki Point. Here we sat on the canyons edge to witness a beautiful sunset. Another truly memorable day and another well deserved sleep!