Just a Drive

---

Today, we drove. We started out late in Santa Fe (nearly 8:00!), choosing to forgo Acoma Pueblo for timeliness. My partner Mark suggested it, but it would add nearly 2:30 to our day and we'll be back someday with older, hopefully more appreciative, children. Shortly after noon, we made it to Window Rock, Arizona, for a brief stop (and a virtual cache) and lunch. At McDonald's (yes, we eat there frequently on vacation), the boys had fun playing while Jeff waited to order, while I was dismayed to see young children with entire mouths full of metal, not a single natural tooth.

Our one other stop of the day was at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado, Arizona. John Lorenzo Hubbell bought it c1876 while in his early 20s, and expanded its trading reach significantly. He acted not only as a trader, but as a translator, jurist, teacher and medic. The trading post is still open. We took a brief look around. They had yarn for $3.75/hank, but I don't need more wool and it was made in Nebraska. Now if it had been woven locally, I probably could have found a use for it eventually. They also had Navajo rugs for $600. We didn't buy any of them either.

I think of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona as being very similar, but the drive west from Ganado showed how different Arizona is from New Mexico. As we drove, we started seeing the mesas and buttes south of Monument Valley. And then we got to Page, but that's a story for another day.

- - - - -

Today, we learned that drivers in New Mexico are smarter than those in Minnesota, at least when it comes to merging.

We forgot dryer sheets (and have four boxes at home).

Conversation of the Day:
C - What's a peblow?
K - Pueblo?
C - What's a pwebwol?
K - Pueblo?
C - What's a plebwo?
K - Pueblo?
C - What is it?

High Temperature: 94, in Many Farms AZ
Low Temperature: 63, in Santa Fe NM

Miles: 485

Geocaches Found: 6

---

Photos

Cole at Window Rock
Yes, there's a cache here. We see a lot of things because of geocaching.

Got $600?
Navajo artisans sell their wares at the trading post. They're beautiful, but not for that much money.