Grand Canyon National Park.

We got up at 6 to catch the sunrise and the shuttle bus to the top of the South Kaibab Trail, one of 3 trails to descend into the canyon, and set off at about 7 with the intent of completing our hike before it got too hot. As we descended into the Canyon the scenery was breath taking with the sun just risen and all the different shades, hues and colours appearing, we wondered at all the people who were motoring along and didn't leave them selves any time to actually look at it! For the first mile of the hike we descended into a side passage of the canyon through the various layers of rock which turned our boots into a mosaic of different colours of dust until we reached 'Ooh Aah Point (Yes they really did call it that!!) which is the first point where the view opens out and you actually see the canyon in all it's glory. This is an incredible scene and almost earns it's ridiculous name. From this point on we descended along a ridge on the side of the canyon until we reached Cedar Ridge which is a rocky outcropping which extends into the canyon. After walking along to the end of the ridge we sat down to have some breakfast and admire the incredible view on offer, since this was about 200 yards off the marked path no one else was there and it was completely silent for the first time since we arrived in America!! We chilled out here for about an hour or so taking in the splendour of the Canyon before starting the climb back up. It was only at this point that we realised how steep the climb had been and we found it quite hard going. We stopped off again at Ooh Aah point on the way back up and admired the incredibly tame squirrel that seems to live around that area. After arriving back at the top around 11 we thought it would be best to walk along the rim trail back to the visitor centre. The path was absolutely deserted despite offering some spectacular views of the Canyon from different angles. As we arrived back at the tourist centre we discovered all the other tourists looking from a specific place, although this suggests that there would be something worth seeing here it was actually no more spectacular than any other view point along the rim. We have noticed that Americans seem to only stick to the point marked on a map and seem very reluctant to explore any further. We explored this area for a little while before taking this opportunity to use the camp-site showers while everyone was away looking at the Canyon. Feeling refreshed and after a bite to eat we headed over to the watch tower 25 miles away to watch the sunset, stopping on the way at Navajo point which is one of the few points on the canyon where you can see the structure of the lower rock layers. The view from the watch tower is awesome and we had just found the perfect place from which to watch the sunset when in typical US style we were informed that the Watch Tower was closing 15 minutes before sunset, the reason given for this was that there are no lights (which is a lie since you could see 2 of them) so it was too dangerous to be up there after sunset. So we had to go back down and find somewhere else to watch it from. Despite this setback we weren't disappointed with the spectacle which was breathtaking as the sun set over the far end of the canyon and flooded the end nearest us with light turning the rock and watch tower a brilliant red. The shadows cast over the far end of the canyon were no less impressive as they created a ghostly scene. As a final treat the moon rose while the sky was still tinged with red creating a beautiful contrast of darkness and light. We then walked back to the car to get our bed ready. Whist busy with this task which took somewhat longer than normal we met a young man from Washington State who is also travelling the US before joining the Air Force. We spent several hours chatting to him during which we learned several things about America, some of which we already suspected.

• He confirmed that to Americans the world consists of the USA, occasionally including Canada when they feel it's convenient, but certainly not Mexico!!

• Even he, as an American, is appalled by the standard of driving in America.

• He told us that to pass the driving test you are required to parallel park in a space the size of a double decker bus (it was not clear if you have to reverse into the space.), reverse out of a driveway and park in a space 3 inches smaller than usual, you are not required to reverse into the space!!

• The reason new cars in America are so cheap is that the companies cut corners when making them, he said that it is almost impossible to skid an American car because the brakes are so poor, it is also not required to have tires which can cope with your car's performance which explains why we have seen so many punctures here.

• Once passed your licence is valid for any vehicle so someone who did there test in a Golf could then drive a HGV... You are also not required to have a licence to drive a vehicle which the government thinks is not capable of hurting someone other than yourself!!

• The average fuel economy over here is about 15 MPG anything over 20 is considered good and 30 is excellent, it would be unheard of to get the 48mpg I got back in the UK.

• He also said that their education system is a joke with class sizes of at least 55 and pupils are not separated into ability so the lessons are aimed at such a low level that no one really learns anything.

• Kids are meant to be in school until they are 18 but since there is no enforcement they start dropping out as early as 10, only about half actually finish school.

• Their army is made up of these drop outs and minor criminals who can choose between jail or military service.

• He also said that anyone over 18 can carry a gun as long as it is plainly visible, you can also have a concealed weapon if you apply for a licence.

• These guns can be taken anywhere apart from elementary schools and some government buildings.

• He in fact could not believe that we were travelling the USA without a gun!!

• It turns out that he has also come across the fact that although there are plenty of events organised in America,when it comes to actually finding them you are distinctly on your own, there will be no signs to them and he even found that the location on the advert had been abbreviated so he couldn't search for it on the internet!!!!