We didn’t want to leave the Canyon and so ventured out on our final day to the eastern end where we viewed the gorges from the ‘Mather Point’ and the expanse of the area known as the Painted Desert that runs eastwards from the Canyon and is home to the ‘Little Colorado River Canyon’ – a very slim but deep canyon that feeds into the grandee of all canyons on this earth. Awesome.

Next pit stop was Phoenix which was just an over-night stop to pick up last bits and pieces we need for our travels. What was most noticeable is how flat, and hot (118 degrees F/ 47C) Phoenix is. There wasn’t a great deal to it, apart from some well-manicured golf courses and some small mountains on its perimeters. The real treat for Debbie was seeing the cigar shaped, or stubby fingers as she calls them, cactus which suddenly appear on the road into Phoenix and then disappear from the desert terrain about an hour outside of Phoenix (going the other way!). Anyway Debbie’s happy and she has another photo!