Lower Antelope Canyon (4 April)

Antelope Canyon had been on our wish-list for this trip, but as the itinerary got nailed down it was missed off.  As we looked again at the route from Monument Valley to Bryce, we decided to change the route and take in Antelope after all.  I'm so pleased we did! 

We turned up at a hot, dusty parking lot ten minutes' drive from the small town of Page, UT - in the shadow of a large power station.  It wasn't the most auspicious of starts.  Having signed the waivers and read about the risks of dehydration, spiders, snakes and scorpions we met up with our Navajo guide Brady.  Even as we walked gently downhill through the dusty red sand there was nothing to signify anything special, much less the extraordinary sights we'd been promised.  Eventually, we reached the entrance and climbed down a series of stairs and ladders into the canyon.

Suddenly we were inside the most amazing space.  The tallest sections were around 20 metres high - open to the sky, not requiring any artificial lighting.  The walls were pink sandstone, curving here and there as the water had carved its way through the rock, down to the Colorado River.

It was truly beautiful - the layers in the rock suggested movement even though everything was still.  Looking up was every bit as dramatic.

Black and white added a different dimension, showing off the light and shade even more dramatically.

All too soon we had reached the end of the canyon, and we climbed the last couple of ladders back up to the surface.

Finally, people emerged out of the ground.  As with the entrance, there was nothing to indicate the beauty of what lay beneath.