Albuquerque to the Monument Valley - July 11 to 13

July 11
We woke up to a warm sunny day as we left the Camping World in Albuquerque and headed to El Malpais National Monument.The name was derived from the Spanish for badlands. This area acquired the name due to the extensive lava flows throughout the monument.

On an earlier trip, we explored the east side of El Malpais so on this trip we explored the west side. This area of the Monument is called El Calderon because of the cooling lava flows that in places collapsed into large pits and caves.

Emma loves her aerobic hikes and maintained a steady pace as I alternating between composing photographs and jogging.  

Thistle

 

Morning Cloak Butterfly

Indian Paintbrush

 We wound our way through the caldrons, pines and junipers to a cinder dome at the end of the hike.

Our next stop was El Morro National Monument. This small site is famous for the inscriptions that were left at the base of its cliffs by early explorers.

El Morro

 At the base of the cliff is a reliable pool of water that seeps out of the cliff face and attracted early explorers that were passing through the region.

Writing and pictures on the cliffs date back to early Aboriginals and Spanish explorers.

We enjoyed our short walk along the cliff face but had to cut it short as the afternoon thunderstorm arrived and the rain came pouring down.

 It is hard to capture rain in a photograph however in this picture you can see white streaks of rain pelting down.

July 12

Starting the day in Gallop New Mexico we headed north onto the Navajo Reservation in Northeast Arizona. The Navajo call themselves Dene, which means "the people". They have the largest reservation in the United States and have retained their language and culture: 43% of Dene people under 30 can speak the language and they have their own institutions.

We stopped briefly at the Hubbel Trading Post National Historic site. Some of the original trading post building were maintained along with period artifacts. I must admit that I found the nearby Black-tailed Prairie Dogs equally interesting.
 

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

In the afternoon, we arrived at Canyon De Chelly National Monument and drove to the end of the south rim  and the Spider Rock Overlook. It was even more breathtaking than the picture suggests.

 Spider Rock Overlook

All along the rim of the canyon were a series of breathtaking overlooks.

Also all along the canyon were Navajo artists displaying their work. I love native art and was like a kid in a candy store. It got so bad that Emma made me promise not to buy her any more jewelry. I would promise then go out to an overlook take some pictures and come back with more jewelry.
As addictions go I guess its not such a bad one. I find it much easier to say no to alcohol than to a nice piece of native jewelry that would look good on Emma. We both felt good about supporting the Navajo artists on their traditional land.

 One of the many Navajo Artists whose work Emma and I admire.

Along the bottom of the canyon walls were preserved ruins of earlier inhabitants who lived in the area more than a thousand years ago. 

Throughout the canyon were fascinating wind and water sculpted rocks.

July 13

What a great day. We started at White House Overlook with a hike down into the Canyon De Chelly. We finished the day by arriving at Monument Valley at Sunset.

White House Overlook

Emma hiking down to the valley floor along the White House Ruins trail at Canyon De Chelly

 

 Cliff dwellings at the bottom of White House Overlook

Cliff Dwelling Detail.

Petroglyph 

 

Leaving Canyon De Chelly was hard as you don't encounter such beauty and serenity just around the corner.

However, the Navajo Reservation is a magical land with many special places in addition to Canyon De Chelly.

Monument Valley at Sunset

This scene should look familiar as it has appeared in numerous western films. Monument Valley was one of the favourite filming locations for directors like John Ford.

When I was growing up I loved Saturday afternoons. No matter where I was playing I would rush home at three o'clock to watch "Horse Opera". This show featured a variety of old western movies.

Life was simpler back then. The good guys wore white hats. The bad guys wore black hats. There were lots of problems and conflicts but in the end the good guys always won.

You get older and you realize life is not that simple.

Funny now that I think of it. All my cowboy hats are black. However, then and now, I always identified with the white hat guys. I asked Emma who she identified with in the old westerns. She said "the Indians, whichever Nation it happens to be".