Day 14 - 29 Sept: Page, AZ, to Grand Canyon, AZ

So the early start for the last chance at Antelope Canyon saw us up at 6:30 and at the upper canyon site by 7:15, third vehicle in a queue which built rapidly. The sky looked extremely ominous when we awoke, with a huge storm front showing dark grey in the early-morning light, edged with a yellow tinge. We thought it was Game Over, but headed out to the site anyway. News was positive when we got there so we hung around, and no rain came our way.

And so, with Tanner our guide and about half a dozen others in our group, we took the Antelope Canyon tour...and it was worth every cent and second. Stunning and amazing, the 'slot' canyon didn't disappoint, and the Navajo guides proved to be experts not just on the canyon but on photographing it, adjusting everyone's cameras to make the most of the colours and the conditions. Brilliant. Truly amazing.

From there we headed south on the 89, bound for the big daddy - Grand Canyon. Still in Navajo territory, we stopped for gas in Cameron and were impressed by the gallery there with beautiful jewellery, basketwork, weaving, carving and visual art, then ducked in to see the Little Colorado Gorge, where there was the tackier side of the Navajo market on display - dream catchers and other mass-produced stuff. The view of the gorge was cool, though.

Then out of Navajoland and on to Desert View, our campground for tonight and the eastern entrance to the South Rim. These were our first views of the canyon.

Secured a campsite next to another Escape van - again, not as cool as ours, although painted by the same artist. Visited the small Tusayan museum nearby with fascinating info on the Puebloan and Hopi ancestry of the area, plus the remains of an 800-year-old settlement, before taking in the view from another vantage point.

After setting up camp properly we walked back to the canyon for sunset...