Canyon de Chelly

We slept in until a quarter to seven then slowly started getting up and ready. I took another nice hot shower, walked the dog twice, spoke with the neighbors (the couple we met the day before from the Netherlands) and made breakfast while Dad hooked the RV to the truck and got it all ready to leave. Sonnie was all excited (I know, not news by now) and we headed off a little after 9.

We drove by the Four Corners Monument again (grumble) and headed through Arizona. Much of the drive was really barren and desolate. We stopped for a break at a gas station and treated us to a piece of Navajo Fry Bread from a little stand with two women working in it. Sonnie, er, relieved himself nearly, so I did feel a little bit obligated!

Once we got towards the Chinle area the landscape changed, and we were surrounded by gorgeous bright red flowing rock all around. We drove through two tiny little towns to Chinle, which is also a tiny little town with not much to see. We stopped at the Canyon de Chelly Visitor’s Center, ran in to get a map, and headed to the canyon. We are staying at the Spider Rock Campground—this one does have potable water and solar showers, and from what I read, a hilarious attendant. I spoke with him and look forward to meeting him. There was no one here when we got here, but a board had our spot marked on it. We were greeted by a sweet and very affectionate dog, and noticed a sign saying that if we feed the reservation dogs, we own them! Um.. guess this guy isn’t eating from my hand! He looks well cared for though, so I wasn’t too upset (yes, I’ve had a tough time with that, especially up in Monument Valley with the three dogs patrolling the visitor’s lot.)

Our spot is a nice little place surrounded by trees, with a little fire pit and a picnic table. Sonnie approved. It’s supposed to be in the high 70s today and while it feels it in the sun, it’s gorgeous in the shade with a nice breeze. We have all the windows open and are quite comfortable. I’m sure we’ll be ok leaving Sonnie in the RV during our tours.

Well, off to explore…

We drove down the south rim of the Canyon. First we went to the Spider Rock Overlook, and Face Rock Overlook. Both were really beautiful though I loved the ‘hoodoos’ of Spider Rock overlook. There’s a large relatively thin rock in the center of the canyon that reaches up, almost to the top of the canyon. The canyon consists of lovely shades of red, rust, brown and tan, and the bottom has a really small river running through. There’s a lot of trees and grass on the bottom as well, so it’s quite beautiful.

We then drove to see the Sliding House Overlook, which is a cliff dwelling towards the bottom of the canyon where much of the rock overhang fell, and looks like it took a bit of the ruin with it. The White House is beautiful, and has a set of ruins on the bottom of the canyon, and one not too far up the rock wall. It’s called the White House because the top level of the top ruin is covered in white plaster. We’re going to hike down to it tomorrow. We stopped at the Junction Overlook, Tunnel Overlook and Tsegi Overlook as well to enjoy the most beautiful views. I think this is even prettier than the Grand Canyon, which I love.
The man who lives here and runs the campground still wasn’t here when we got back, but his nephew was. We stopped to talk with him for a bit. We learned the dog’s name is ‘boy’, and there’s a really beautiful Bengal-looking cat with wild tiger stripes here now. Very talkative and decided to stretch using my leg as a post with full claws out! Ouch! We pet them for a bit and learned that Howard feeds them (the nephew stopped short of saying that they are his, but that he feeds them.) They both look pretty well cared for though.

The winds really picked up and were quite gusty by the time we hit the Tunnel overlook. There’s a short but steep trail down to a little metal ladder, which has a sign that you cannot continue down the stairs without a guide. I stood on the landing and took some pictures of the beautiful view. There are Navajos selling their crafts at every stop. I spoke with a man named Henry at the Spider Rock Overlook. He made the dream catchers, did the carvings in stone, and his auntie and mother did the jewelry. The stone carvings were really beautiful, and he took some time to explain what the symbols meant. They included things like corn, antelope, lightening, many circles within circles symbolizing many generations, the healing hand, the world and the four directions, and a solid circle within a circle symbolizing the ancient people and the Navajo. There were others as well. We liked them so much we made some purchases, and I bought a dreamcatcher as well. I do have one, but this one was really detailed and beautiful. He explained the story that dream catchers are designed to catch bad dreams, but good ones can go through. There were feathers and wood in each of the four directions, and there were tools sewn into it to use to fight the bad dreams away. It was really beautiful.

Some of the other people selling things had beautiful things, including painted stones and painted jars. They were all assertive but not pushy. Going to get dinner started soon. We have an early day tomorrow, with a driving tour of the canyon schedule at 8 with a guide that was highly recommended on tripadvisor. I love that site! We did early tours as we were unsure of the temperatures, and I was concerned leaving Sonnie in the RV if it got too hot. Given the cool mornings and the breeze, I suspect he’ll be fine. Should it get warm, we’ll just take him on our drives.

Howard just came by to collect the money we owe, and to say hello. Boy is at his side, and just rolled on his back for belly rubs. What a sweet dog. Howard is a character, and a nice guy. Gave us some suggestions, and told us about the walking trail on the property. It's a 3 mile round trip walk, going to the cliff and ruins. Can't wait, nor can Sonnie!

Signing off…