MONDAY | The roads between Utah and Arizona stretched out as far as the eye could see, tempting you to press a little harder on the acceleration. The terrain chopped and changed between desert to shrubbery to mountainous. We sailed along the road, joined on occasion by guys in hunting jeeps dressed in camouflage. Lunch was a pit stop at a tired but authentic Native American cafe. As we edged closer to the Antelope Canyon fear set in as the clock edged closer to 3:30pm and our opportunity to explore the canyon was slipping away. The first tour company we swung by was booked out, so they sent us on to the next one. Not only did they have availability but crossing the border meant we'd gained an hour to our day and it was in fact only 2:30pm. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were boarded into the back of the open truck and were off flying along the orange dirt that wrapped around the sand dunes. For the next hour, we shuffled through the canyons as our guide moved us from photography spot to another. When it floods, the water fills the canyon thus creating the wave effect through erosion. The result is a magical walkway through light and shade as the bright blue sky seeps through from above. After we'd waddle through and back it was back on the truck and then for us back on the road to the next natural wonder of the area. Michael had insisted that we swing by Horse Shoe Bend before we made our way to the Grand Canyon. Given it was a short distance down the road we made the trek. It's an easy 20-minute walk down to the edge of the cliff. Unlike the other sites no man-made development has been done here. It's just an exposed rim that you can wander as close to the edge as you like. Our leans over and photos were conservative compared to the other visiting tourists. Despite not being fazed by heights with every inch that I edged towards the drop my legs descended further into jelly. That uncomfortable feeling was worth the breath-taking awe that resulted from peeking over. Even though the incline back to the car was moderate the altitude worked is devilish wonder on us and by the time we slide back into the car we were hugging and puffing. Breath regained it was on to our final nature experience of the day : the Grand Canyon. We snaked through the national park just as the sun started to set. Not wanting to miss seeing the crimson sky light up the canyon we pulled into a look out spot to enjoy the view. As we headed down to the barrier it hit us why everyone had said the Grand Canyon was a must. Ash had been sceptical but in that moment as we stared out at limitless depth and width of the rock formation we were convinced. In those seconds, you realise just how insignificant your own existence is. After darting through the pitch-black park and avoiding the moose that plodded across the road we arrived at our lodge for the evening. With the clocking ticking over to after 8pm we settled on the onsite steakhouse for dinner. By the time, we got back to the room the only item on the agenda was sleep, which was good given our room had no TV. TUESDAY | The alarm rattled at 5:30am: Our dawn wake up call. We threw on some clothes (and in my case, miss matched shoes) and staggered down to the south rim of the canyon to watch the sun ascend. The air was fresh in that numbing way that makes you question why you left the comfort of your bed, but the view was a once in a lifetime draw card. As the sun peaked over the far-right canyon the sky was awash with orange, yellow and pink hues. When the sky faded into a familiar blue we gave each other the silent nod and back to bed we went. There we stayed till check out loomed over us. Then we were back on our feet, backpacks cast into the car, stomachs lined and then into Tyson we piled. Our nature checklist marked off we decided it was time for the other extreme: man-made city of sin: Las Vegas.
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