The Journey Continues:
After leaving Windows Rock, I went west, then North on Highway 191. My destination was Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “de Shay”) National Monument in Northeastern Arizona. It is a very unusual National Monument in that it lies within the Navajo Nation lands and is administered by both the National Park Service and the Navajo Tribal Trust.
It is a deep canyon (actually 3 distinct canyons surrounded on all sides by high cliffs). But when you approach the canyon from the west, there are no cliffs as the entrance to the main canyon and the mountains are at the same level. Then, at the entrance, there are two roads that follow the mountain’s rise and parallel the canyon walls on the north and south sides.
Tourists are not allowed into the canyon unless accompanied by a member of the tribe or a ranger. To take a tour of the canyon requires payment of a hefty fee to the Navajo Nation and a ride on flatbed truck with seats on it. I didn’t do the tour. While it would have been interesting to see the canyon from the bottom up, it didn’t go all the way to Spider Rock, the most famous landmark in the park.
Instead, I drove the roads up into the mountains and stopped at the many pullouts along the way, photographing down into the canyon. There is a great deal to see, even from above including Indian ruins, cliff dwellings, and fabulous rock formations. Spider Rock sits at the very end of the canyon and can be seen from above. If you would like to see it, check out the old 1960’s western, “McKenna’s Gold.”
Canyon de Chelly is actually one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America. For over 5,000 years, the canyon has been inhabited first by the Anasazi, then the Navajos. The ancient cliff dwellings were built by the Anasazi. Today, about 40 Navajo families live in the canyon.
The photograph above shows the remains of an old cliff dwelling that has long since disappeared. The black stuff you see on the canyon walls is called rock varnish or desert varnish, if you prefer. The varnish is primarily composed of particles of clay along with iron and manganese oxides. To give you a better feeling of it’s size, if a man was standing among the ruins, you would barely be able to make him out.
For two days, I roamed the high cliffs of the park, taking pictures and enjoying the landscapes. For the most part, I had terrible light, so the few good photos I have of the park I did in black and white. Actually there isn’t that much color in the park and because of the lighting, the colored images were all too harsh. Thank God for black and white.
I camped for two nights in the park. And one of the things I noticed were how many dogs roamed the campground all unattended. One day, while out touring, the dogs attacked my campsite and tore up all my dry goods. The food was locked up in the van, but I guess that didn’t stop them. A neighbor told me they attacked in a pack. They left quite a mess behind. These dogs were all standard variety of breeds that you see in homes all across America. I guess their owners didn’t feed them or just let them roam free.
On the third day, I realized I needed to find a city with a Bank of America so I could pay a credit card bill on the due date. A park ranger informed me that the nearest bank was in Farmington, New Mexico…quite a distance away. But she showed me shortcuts through the Navajo Nation that would get me there much faster. So off I went through the heart of the Navajo Nation where few white men travel.
To be Continued…
(To see a larger version of this image, just click on it)
To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com…or visit my Flickr Page
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