We had been planning on driving up to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced: shay) on Sunday morning, but on a whim, we decided to just leave Saturday night. We tossed the tent in the truck, and were on our way! The midnight drive was easy and peaceful, and to top it all off, we discovered that the canyon's federally managed campground was free!
[I'm trying very hard to keep politics out of this blog, but the last few months have been filled with conventional wisdom-bashing examples of how the federal government actually does know how to run things. The KOA site down the road has no desire to provide a free public service. And I've already told you how I feel about the Indian Health Service.]
Anyway, the campsite was great. We pulled in around 12:30 am, and tried our hardest to not wake up any of our new neighbors. Especially the clawed variety.
When we woke up the next morning, one of our quick-pack omissions became very clear. Food. So I hopped back in the car, and made a run for one of the best camping breakfasts out there: Burger King.
We spent the morning exploring the impossibly beautiful Canyon de Chelly. If it were only a natural wonder, it would be amazing. If it were only a cultural heritage site, it would be amazing. It's both; and it's a must see for anyone who visits the region.
The canyon is part of the Navajo reservation, and is still used for farmland by some of its residents.
The hike was pretty steep, and even though the "down" segment was the easy part, we were pretty happy to make it!
At the end of the two-mile hike to the bottom of the canyon is an ancient cliff dwelling made by the early Hopi ancestors. It defines "breathtaking".
After making the trek back to the top, Aimee and I got back in the car, and headed to Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border. The drive was beautiful, and gave us dramatically different scenery every twenty miles, or so.
Monument Valley is one of the most famous Southwest panoramas, and was the backdrop for several early Western movies. And even though Canyon de Chelly set the bar pretty high, it was still worth the drive.
Despite my best efforts to encourage her otherwise, Aimee couldn't muster up a fake sickness. So it's back to work for both of us, but it sure was a nice way to spend the weekend!
-M
