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Published: April 23rd 2009
Hello!
We are spending the night in Kayenta, AZ the gateway to Monument Valley. Last night we stayed in Chinle, AZ home of Canyon de Chelly, a sacred place to the Dineh Navajo people. After checking into our hotel we went and looked around the South Rim drive of Canyon de Chelly. We stopped at the White House ruins overlook and saw the amazing view. The sun was beginning to set so the light in the canyon accentuated all the colors of the cliff walls. We stopped at a few more overlooks which included Spider Rock, the stone tower that we would be riding to the base of the following day.
For our ride, we met with our guide Nate at Totsonii Ranch. We were the only two guests on the ride so we didn't have to stop and wait for any silly people. Pete lead the way on his white stallion, Chase, as we headed down some extremely steep and rocky trails. Much of the trail was on rock actually. When we arrived to the floor of the canyon 1000 feet down it was grassy with many dried out river beds with the cliffs walls rising out of the ground. We dismounted to take a short break and let the horses go eat some grass. It is a very common thing to let your livestock roam the reservation and surrounding areas. We nearly hit one horse as we came around a corner and he was coming towards us in the center of the road. We saw groups of horses and cows everywhere....gas station, parking lot...hotel grass. As it turns out most of the horses aren't wild or even feral, most are branded and are just on walkabout. So it was no big deal to let ours wander off a bit, Nate brought a lasso just in case. He showed us some petroglyphs and did a whooping yell to show the echo effects of the canyon. There are nearly 200 families still living on the canyon floors, which means they are very self sufficent growing beans, squash, corn and raising private herds of cows and sheep. We headed out the same way we came in which was much easier for the horses although Chase was huffing and puffing. Nate and I had small mustang types with little feet so it was easy for them to pick through the rock. After our ride was finished we returned to the WHite House overlook to use the binoculars. We were able to see fish jumping upstream in the river and details of the White House ruins. Like the ruins we saw on our ride these dwellings are high up on the cliffs. Turns out, years and years ago the canyon floor was much higher up and has been washed away over time. Much like excavating Rome and finding an ancient 3rd floor apartment on modern day street level, only opposite. Although Canyon de Chelly is a fraction of the GC's size, many people say it much more beautiful. We can both believe this as you can get more personal with the landscape. Everyone whispers at the overlooks allowing you to hear the birds of prey and wind on the walls. You can look down and see the small river, sheep and hogans. To preserve it, visitors may only go in to the canyon with a resident Navajo guide, with the exception of he White House trail. It is a very special place.
This evening in Kayenta we had dinner at the Hampton Inn and visited the Navajo Code Talkers exhibit at the Burger King next door, both recommended by Fodors and locals. We also used the pool and did laundry in the sink. Tomorrow after visiting some of the most famous landmarks in western movies, Forrest Gump and Chevy Chase Family Vacation we will be heading to the GRAND CANYON.
- Culver
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lowry mom
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I can Hear You Whisper !
Most Happy of Moms to hear from you and the latest adventures ! You really are doing what you dreamed of doing and Pete gets the Prize for even getting on a horse let alone climbing canyons... Fall into The Canyon and say Hello to Chevy Chase - Hi Taxi !