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Cliff dwellings
Just puts a whole new dimention on the argument of who gets the mail. Early start from Holbrook this morning.
Was pleased with the tent and the other recent additions to the camping equipment.
Couldn't help getting up early though due to the relentless traffic all night (trucks mostly) on I40 which just happened to be no more than 200meters from my tent, and when it wasn't the trucks it was the alarmingly regular and large trains which all seemed to feel the need to honk their horns 4 long times each as they approached the nearby rail crossing.
Who needs an alarm!
First part of the day was spent behind the wheel again, heading east up I40 before going north on highway 191 making my way to the town of Chinle.
Chinle.....hhmmmm first impression, lock your doors and keep going, but its not that bad and the locals that I met all seemed quite nice.
Rundown dusty stray horses at the pumps at the gas station (really) and the odd manky looking cow residing in the yards of houses.
It's just not quite Las Vegas (not that I would want it to be).
Anyway past all of this is the national park service visitor centre for Canyon De Chelly (pronounced Shay).
This is just
It only gets better
On the way down into the canyon. my kind of place, free!, both access to the canyon and the next door camping ground.
I got my free map to the canyon and then set up my tent in the camping ground before the rush as it is a 1st in 1st served basis there.
The campground is nice, there is shade under some mature cottonwood trees wood burning bbq's avaliable (even though wood fires were banned due to it being so dry) and toilet blocks with clean toilets, but no showers.
I then set out for the canyon, there is 2 roads that you can take, one goes to the north rim and if you hadn't already guessed the other goes to the south rim.
This is the one that I took as there is more lookout points along it and also the only track into the canyon that the public can use without paying for a guide is from this side.
Although not the biggest canyon around, biggest is not always best (honest, and no I don't have a complex) this is true for this canyon.
This is a spectacular canyon with many good vantage points, it is also unique(ish) in many ways also in that
Traditional Farm
Not a tractor to be seen, or much else for that matter.
How it used to be. it also is largely privately owned and has been for hundreds of years and parts of the canyon floor are farmed in traditional ways by the local indians some still living in traditional hogans, much of the life on the canyon floor seems to have gone unchanged for many generations.
In the canyon is also Anasazi ruins in some amazing locations on cliff walls, tucked under over hangs and other pacarious places.
Access for the people in the canyon is via the washes coming from the canyon, acess looks as if it would be almost impossable for many of them when there is water in them, which I imagine is not often.
It is also part of a Navajo reservation thus the lack of NPS fees.
Having set off from my campsite with the usual impecable timing of just before midday (reservation time) on a hot and sunny day I diligantly took up my sight seeing duties at yet another beautiful place.
A note, this reservation dosn't recognise daylight savings that the rest of Arizona does so this time of year there is 1 hour difference between the reservation and the "non-reservation" part of the state, however there is also
The white house
George Bush eat your heart out. a Hopi indian reservation that is within the Navajo reservation and it dose recognise daylight savings.......confused you should be.
For those inclined there is also regular opportunities to buy jewlery from the local indians who have stalls set up at many of the viewing places along the road, reasonable prices too.
One of the best and most spectacular of the ruins in the canyon is called the whitehouse, althought this can be viewed from the canyon rim it is also the one that can be accessed by foot.
I arrived at the view point for the whitehouse and looking at it from approx 600feet above (verticle height) I thought to myself as I stood there trying not to melt in the sun, this'll do.
I almost chickened out due to the searing heat and the look of the winding track going down into the canyon to it, and the more daunting accent.
However putting on my brave face and sunhat I set off.
It turned out to be easier than I thought and was definately worth the effort.
Getting down into the canyon and looking up the sheer cliffs was awesome and the ruins up close were so much better
And the profile shot
Far better location than it's namesake anyday. than could be anticipated from looking down from the top.
There was also ancient rock drawings that just couldn't be seen from the top.
And in the spirit of free enterprise I was met by more of the local indians who had driven up the canyon to sell their wares to those annoying tourist types........
The rest of the canyon is great also and one of the best lookouts is spider rock at the end of the road.
From there it was back to the camp, to which the bulk of the "rush" had arrived, about a dozen other campers....
I got to try out my new multi fuel cooker as well, not before discovering that I didn't have any matches and making an emergency trip to town stopping at the first shop I saw, a gas station the attendant gave me some he had behind the counter for free even thought they don't sell them.
And yes the irony of going to a gas station looking for matches didn't go unnoticed by me.
And as it was 4th July I got the free fireworks display courtisy of the locals just over the rise from the camp.
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Stickboy71
Michael Etheridge
Date
Forgot to change the date, this was actually the 4th of July