The Grand Canyon is an interesting thing: All the vistas look the same (awe-inspiring) but they’re all so completely different. Moving two feet in either direction elicits a new mouth-agape look on your face. It stuns with its size, magnitude and serenity all at once. This was my third trip to the South Rim and it felt like my first trip to the candy store as a kid... and this time I had a quarter!

As we left the park, the line which we had waited in, consisting at the time of four cars, had grown to four miles of cars. If you’re headed to the park, get there early and avoid seeing your daylight hours reduced by the wait time to get into the park. Another little tidbit if you like to camp instead of hotel it: Camping within the confines of the national park system will cost you the price of entry. If you’re on a shoestring like me, you can camp just outside the park inside the Kaibab National Forest free of charge, provided you’re not within a quarter-mile of the road.

So after two days of chasing kids around the park and ensuring their safety at cliff’s edge, what’s the verdict? To paraphrase an old Spanish refrain: "Give alms old woman, for there is nothing so sad as to be blind at the Grand Canyon." Try as one might, using mere adjectives to describe the beauty seems to be an exercise in futility.

We approached the national park with minutes to spare before sunset. We parked the car and ran towards the edge of the canyon to watch the sun disappearing over the horizon, changing the colours of the canyon from bright oranges to lilac and purple hues. Indeed in minutes the whole appearance of the canyon was transformed, with a marvellous gradation of colour across the rock formation and the sky. It was almost as if the sky was reflecting the canyon’s form.

Now the bad news: If we wanted to see sunrise, we would need to be on our way by 4:30am. Ouch! We were determined to go for it, although I’m not sure that my cousin was quite as committed to this venture as we were, and we were up and ready in the cold darkness of Bright Angel’s car park. Yaki Point was the recommended venue, and we arrived in good time to join fellow nature-lovers. It was so cold that icicles were almost forming on the noses of the assembled group as we waited, cameras at the ready, to witness a new dawn. At the appointed minute (and I’m sure it was dead on the predicted time), the sky began to change in appearance. The sun was rising from our right, behind a large outcrop, and a stunning purple spread across the lower horizon; slowly, a glint of brightness showed through from the right. I shifted my feet in the crisp snow and tried to convince myself that coldness was only a state of mind (not so since I’m virtually shaking with the extreme coldness), and then the sky is illuminated with a semicircle of bright yellow, with the snow on the distant outcrops reflecting back its whiteness to us. This is an experience that should not be missed. My wife’s dream of a white canyon was now a reality, and I’m not sure that I’d want to see it any other way.

We return to the car with our teeth chattering, and there, as we are leaving Yaki Point, behind some bushes was a baby deer. She stood perfectly still, as if frozen to the spot, and posed beautifully for me as I rushed for my camera. What a great start for our morning!

After a warming drink, we investigate the area around Bright Angel. We feel as if we are dancing with danger as we stroll along the cliff top – there are no barriers here, just a sheer drop to the granite gorge below. And there built into the canyon side is Lookout Studio, designed by Mary Colter back in 1914. Again she managed to blend a manmade feature into nature’s creation.

There are all sorts of levels of activities available. There are level walking paths that take you along the rim, more difficult ones that still keep you up top, and then it's possible to hike down into the canyon itself (one of my goals in life).

My sister and I got up early to watch the sun rise - definitely worth it, but make sure to wear warm clothes!! We were there in late May, but until the sun comes up, it's chilly!! The buses start running early enough so that you can catch a ride from the campground to a viewing spot. Afterwards, we hiked along the rim some, back towards the village area, and then stopped for some breakfast at one of the restaurants. It was very nice!!

We visited the south rim of the Grand Canyon for just one night; we got here in late afternoon and then left mid-morning the next day. It was our second visit, so I'd definitely recommend allowing more time for your first visit, but if you don't have more, stop by for the time you have anyway - it's definitely worth it!!

P.S. If you're going to be visiting more than two national parks (as we were), be sure to invest in a national parks’ pass - it's a good investment then!

Next day we also took a journey by Grand Canyon Railway. But we were disappointed, as the train does not travel through the Grand Canyon.