Having spent 3 hours the previous day trying to find affordable accomodation in the Grand Canyon, we soon found that with it being the start of spring and also spring break (Woohoo!) everything was fully booked for miles around, and the only rooms we could find in the vicinity were very expensive! So we ended up getting the last room at a motel6 in the small town of Williams, an hour south of the Canyon. Setting off from Vegas we took Highway 90 towards Boulder City and over the Hoover Dam! Halfway across the dam we crossed the state border from Nevada into Arizona, and stopped for half an hour to walk along and photograph the dam. Then we continued on the highway until we reached Kingston and switched to Highway 40. We then follwed this all the way to Williams, arriving in the early evening. Williams is located just off the highway on a loop of the historic Route 66 and is a lovely small forest town with a few conveniences, and it was very very cold (we'd driven up to a very high altitude!)! For dinner we managed to find a traditional american diner/route 66 bikers cafe (called Cruisers Diner), and then retired to the room for the evening.

The next morning we set off early and an hour later arrived at the south gate for the Grand Canyon National Park! Having parked up we hopped on the first of 3 free (and very convenient!) shuttle buses to the visitor centre. After deciding on a plan for the day we jumped on the second shuttle bus and travelled a short way along the south rim (in an easterly direction) stopping to take in the view at a couple of vista points. And what an incredible view it was! The canyon is indescribable! Its more incredible and bigger and colourful than any photo, tv program or book can show (trust me, the only way you can understand what we mean is by going and seeing it for yourselves!). Once we had recovered from the shock of the amazing views we began walking along the rim trail: a walking trail that follows the south rim (right on the edge with awesome mind-blowing views!) for 6km back to Grand Canyon Village. With so many beautiful vista's and view points to stop at (as well as a picnic lunch with the most incredible view ever!) it took us a couple of hours to finish the walk. Having reached the village we hopped on the third of the free shuttles, this time going along the south rim of the canyon in a westerly direction towards Hermits Rest. Along the way we got off at Maricopa Point, Mojave Point (my favourite!), Hopi Point and Pima Point to enjoy more spectacular views. Once we had reached the top at Hermits Rest we grabbed a drink before heading back down to the village. After a browse around a few shops and a bite to eat we boarded the bus once more back up to Hermits Rest. This time however we got off at Hopi Point to watch the evening sunset, and this was the icing on the cake. If the canyon looked incredible during the day, it looked even better in the setting sunlight! With it being dark by now we headed back to the car for the hour-long journey back to our motel in Williams.