Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and a couple of one night stands

 Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground is part of the Bureau of Land Management system. As a BLM campground is had been free in the past, but as with most of their campgrounds they had started charging a nominal fee several years ago. Now they've gone to a new system, which requires the camping registration and fee be handled online. (You can't even go camping these days without needing the Internet for something!) 

We had registered and paid for our site online the day before our arrival, but just our luck, when we arrived it was occupied! The folks who had decided to settle there had no idea they had to pay to stay there! (note to campers..... read the notices as you enter a campground). They graciously left the site and sought one elsewhere. 

We settled in for the evening and enjoyed the uninterrupted view of the desert. Wide open space and no traffic are rare these days, even in the desert. 

Right after breakfast the next day we walked over to the relatively small rocky outcrop that was situated right in the middle of camp! I'm accustomed to having to trek up fairly challenging trails in some cases to see petroglyphs. These are right in our front yard!  

If you are a fan of petroglyphs, all you can say is WOW! In an article about this site Wikipedia states there are approximately 800 figures in this collection. Even if you aren't, the sheer number and variety of glyphs carved here, over several hundred years, is amazing to think about. Some of the older ones are quite faded due to the continued erosion of the rock, and the ongoing patina forming on the stone. (Patina is the dark brown/black layer that forms on stone that is exposed to the elements for long periods of time. Petroglyphs like these are formed by pecking through that layer, usually with a stone tool. In the photo below the glyphs are layered, with the newer ones on top and much more clearly defined than the older, dim carvings underneath

The importance of this area to several cultures can only be understood if you look at a map and understand that the Gila river, which supports wildlife (aka food for native people), the map on the website linked to above shows the early explorer and pioneer trails, and now highways, cuts right through here. So the proliferation of glyphs may be attributed to the number of travelers passing by, or ????  Interpreting petroglyphs is very subjective, and it's fun to imagine why they are here, but no one can be certain they have the correct interpretation. 

In the afternoon I took the dogs for an off-leash walk out to the riverbed, dry at the time but easy navigating. They enjoyed the opportunity to explore at their leisure with no leashes required as we don't get an opportunity for that kind of exploration very often. 

The following morning we departed for a one night stay in Picacho State Park. This is a regular stop for us when traveling to and from AZ or CA.  The photo below is taken from our site looking toward I-10, a very busy highway, with Newman peak in the distance. The highway is far away, and though we can see the steady stream of traffic we never hear it. At night the lights shine so brightly it looks like a diamond bracelet stretching across the valley.

The park has beautiful scenery, an interesting history, and if you visit a bit later in the year, lots of wildflowers. We were two weeks later last year, so there were more flowers in bloom. Check out that post for details.

For the following day, a short drive, a quick trip to the grocery store, and then one night in Kartchner Caverns State Park. This is another favorite as well as convenient stop on the way home. Good trails for walking, the visitor center is really well done, and the cave tours are too. We spent quite a bit of time here last year. That adventure is here.

Next, a long drive ahead of us, to Rockhound State Park, New Mexico. 

More photos in the album!

Skyline Regional Park - Buckeye, AZ

The current popularity of RV camping has really put a crunch on the ability to schedule a multi-night say anywhere these days. We often have to piece it all together to make a lengthy stay in a single area. Such is the case when planning for our reunion event. We needed 5 nights in a row in the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. It seems that wasn't possible, so the patchworking began. 

Feb. 2 - First night in the area, Buckeye's Skyline Regional Park.

This is a fairly new park and isn't on a lot of lists for the area. It's an 8,700 acre mountain preserve located in the southern White Tank Mountains. It's situated just outside of Buckeye. 

When we arrived we were delightfully surprised to find one of the most spacious campgrounds we've ever seen. Each site is easily 4 times wider than sites are in many other places. There are only a few sites, but most are adequately deep to accommodate even the largest rigs, and the access road is wide enough to make backing in easy. 

In the photo at the right you can see our rig way at the back, in the center of the photo.

There are multiple hiking trails, all well marked, and lovely desert scenery too. The park is open for campers, hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Clear signs list special trail instructions for each group in the few areas where it's necessary ( i.e. no horses on the bridge).

In the afternoon we head into Glendale for the "Say Hi before you die" reunion activities (a little dark cop humor there), a 30 minute drive away, leaving the pups to guard the trailer. 

This first evening was casual with a delicious spaghetti dinner, time spent getting reacquainted with people we hadn't seen for a year, or more, and an early "to bed" for everyone who had traveled to the event.

One little, very important, detail.... this is a "boondocking" RV parking situation - that is, no power and no water, you'll need to be prepared for that. We're used to coping with cold weather and all the other "opportunities" when we travel, so it's not a problem, but it might be for others. This park has very nice restrooms, but no showers. 

No electricity meant no heat all night while we were asleep. We were very comfortable though, having used our propane heater before going to bed. 

The dogs however, had a different opinion. "What do you mean we have to go outside? It's cold!"

If you are interested in using the hiking trails be advised, a lot of other people are too! We noticed the parking lot filled to near overflowing very early in the day on Saturday, and mostly cleared out by dusk. 

Park entrance is free for day use, and you can rent a campsite via their website. Currently (2024) the price is $20 per night. 

Time to move on to another nearby location. 

Feb. 3 - So, one night taken care of in Skyline, now we need 4 more. We move to White Tank Mountain Regional Park, space #28 for one night. 

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!......Sunday morning 1/29 about 10 AM we left Rockhound State Park and headed west on hwy. 10, then north on 191 to the little town of Safford and our nearby destination, Roper Lake State Park. We stayed at Roper last year and really enjoyed it. The views are beautiful and there are some good trails available to explore with the pups.   

As we rolled down the road we remembered that several years ago Steve had seen a posting on an RV discussion board for job opportunity in the area we were passing through. It was a "help wanted ad" for someone to help with the construction work of restoring a ghost town. The posting included an opportunity for someone to organize and index documents related to the town. It would have been right up our alley, but we still had jobs at the time. Steve said he remembered hearing the man who owned the town had been murdered a few years ago. Our route took us right by the location so we stopped there for lunch and to check out the town itself. 

The town is situated on a narrow strip of land in between Hwy.10 and the railroad line, past which there are dirt roads leading out into the desert. 

The "ghost town" of Steins (or Steens) is a small collection of buildings and adobe ruins, some in their original locations and others having been moved in or reassembled in the spaces between. The Wikipedia article provides the historic background. 

The area is now fenced, and looks very neglected, so photos had to be taken from the outside of the area. The town location is actually right on the highway, and traffic is busy these days, so it's tricky to get a shot with no trucks in the background. 

Unfortunately, between the fence and my short stature I couldn't get decent photos that weren't covered just rooftops covered in sagebrush, so try an areal view on Google maps. You can click on satellite in the layers choices and then zoom in to get a better idea of what is actually in the little town. 

Legends of America has the backstory of the town's current state and the story of the attempted restoration is intriguing. It seems we have a second murder mystery on this trip!

We arrived at Roper Lake State Park about 2 PM and settled in to the same spot we'd been assigned for our last visit. We have a perfect view of the mountains and the snowy cap on the highest peaks made for beautiful contrast. 

These are the   Pinaleno Mountains.

The name of the range reflects the pine trees growing on it's slopes. They make for a very picturesque background with the shadows constantly changing with the movement of the sun, and the glistening snow on Mt. Graham. 

We enjoy this campground for many reasons. The scenery is one reason, the trails another, and it's really quiet. Though fishing is allowed here, this time of year there doesn't seem to be much of that activity, and it's still chilly so the birdwatching is at a minimum too. The lake and the picnic area on the little island that extends out into it make for a nice viewing area. The park is popular pretty much year round, and based on difficulty getting reservations it must be full every night. As with all campgrounds anymore reservations are a necessity. 

We pull out this morning, we'll be moving to Lost Dutchman State Park for our next stop. 

The three hour drive to Lost Dutchman State Park wanders through Apache land, several small towns, and some beautiful scenery. 

The rocky formations in this area are not only beautiful, they are rich in minerals. We passed several large copper mines, and then the Magma Mine, originally named the Silver Queen. 

This is the deepest mine in the state. There are 36 levels, with levels every 100 feet in the upper 2000 feet, and then every 2000 feet apart down to 4800 feet. The article linked above provides the history of the mine. 

We arrived at our site in Lost Dutchman State Park around 1:30 and wasted no time getting settled in. 

A cactus wren perched atop a cactus and welcomed us to the neighborhood with a song, and there were humming birds darting about in the shrubs. What a lovely beginning to our stay!

Our site is nestled up against the rocky slope at the base of Superstition Mountain and we have a terrific view of saguaros and other native vegetation. The site has a short path leading directly to the trail that encircles the park. 

The view out our door is perfect. Due to the way the sites are laid out we have a clear view of the mountain behind us, with no interference from other camp sites.

We spent the afternoon getting settled and trying out some of the many trails around the park. Everywhere you go there are striking scenes of giant saguaros, bushy cholla cactus and red mountains with fascinating erosion patterns. There was a bit of haze in the air, but as the sun moved and changed the shadows the effect was still fascinating. 

We'll do a little exploring in the area tomorrow, so tune in again for that report. 

Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona

March 1-2

Picacho Peak State Park is beautiful in the spring, and attracts a lot of visitors during the wildflower season. We saw a steady stream of day visitors coming through the park entrance to hike and photograph the early flower display. Reservations are definately recommended!

The Spanish word "Picacho" translates to "peak", so, the name in English would be "Peak Peak". 

This area is puncuated here and there with volcanic formations, which form a deep pass, a sharp ridge, and a broad, open valley. 

The pass formed in this rocky ridge is noted for being the site of the only Civil War battle fought in Arizona. . . the Battle of Picacho Pass. 

The battle was a small, fairly minor engagement, resulting in the deaths of 11 men. The Confederacy claimed victory as they killed Lt. James Barrett who was in command of the 1st California Cavalry. 

Fifteen years before this battle the Mormon Battallion passed this way, heading for California. 

Another monument has been erected honoring this group, as it was the first group to fly the United States flag in Tuscon. 

Monuments to this event, and other items of interest, are displayed on Monument Loop, near the entrance to the park.

Our campsite was on Loop B, which offers spacious sites and beautiful views of the surrounding desert all the way around. 

We settled in for the night, expecting it to be chilly, and were a bit surprised in the morning to find it had snowed! The peaks all around us were decorated with a thin coat of snow, most of which melted off by noon. In the photo below Picacho Peak is actually almost hidden by a cloud, behind the closer, and shorter peak that is more visible. 

Morning surprise! Snow on Picacho Peak

Once things had thawed out we headed in to the north side of Tuscon for a bit of stocking up before we move out to our next campsite, Kartchner Caverns.

With all the purchases stowed the pups and I decided another hike was in order. 

There are several well maintained trails in the park, this one leads paralell to the main road for quite a distance, and gave us really nice views of the wildflowers and surrounding mountains. Picacho Peak is center in the distance in this photo. It's double, sharp peak is very distinctive from some angles.

One of the best features of this Sonoran Desert landscape is the dramatic sunsets and sunrises, made even better by the striking sillhouetts of the saguaro cactus. 

I never tire of their quirky shapes.

White Tank Mountain Petroglyphs

 We didn't realize it when we made the reservations for the park, but after we arrived we learned there are several petroglyphs located here. Collecting photos of the rock art is one of our hobbies, so before we left we made time to hike the most target rich trails. 

The glyphs here are the type that are often called entoptic. These are seemingly random "doodles", unrelated images that are inspired by visions, or meditations, of the person who was responsible for the petroglyph. They are thought to be related in many cases to the coming of age tradition of a "vision quest". In many tribes an individual set out alone for a period of time to survive on their own and meditate on their place in the tribe and family and their future. Each culture approached this differently, but often they spent much of their time in areas where water was available, both because this was a necessity for survival, and because the presence of water evoked a connection to higher powers. 

Here is a small sampling of what the area has to offer. We didn't thoroughly explore the area due to time restraints and crowded trail. Park rules also require staying behind the railings, so it's difficult to photograph some of the smaller glyphs. I suggest clicking on each photo and opening it up individually to see the detail. Or, open the album link (which has more photos) at the bottom of the page and view the photos in a larger format that way. 

Petroglyphs album

New Mexico and Arizona stops

Our first two days on the road went well, but the skies started to darken with heavy clouds and the wind picked up, and we started keeping a close eye on the weather. Our next planned stop - Silver City, New Mexico. 

By Sunday afternoon we were settling ourselves in to a spacious pull-through site at the Rose Valley RV Ranch, in Silver City. Now, this place has character! and very few stickers for the dogs to get tangled up with! Spacious sites and rustic but effective farm/ranch themed landscaping provide a reasonable amount of privacy, and windbreaks, and considering the weather they were appreciated. 

There are also a well maintained dog/hiking trail and a couple of small dog parks. 

The trail has great views of the surrounding terraine and the vegitation is very attractive. Even though it's still winter the evergreed cactus and junipers provide a nice contrast to all the golden grasses. 

Our main purpose for being in Silver City is to take a close look at some RV models that we don't have access to at home, so that's first on the agenda in the morning.  Entertainment for the evening is the Superbowl! We're keeping an eye on the weather, as it's cold and windy now, but forcasts are calling for increasingly high winds and some snow. 

We had intended to stay in Silver City for two nights but Monday morning we reviewed the updated forcasts and decided an early departure was a good idea. We made a quick trip to Lowry's RV sales and toured several models we were interested in then headed back to camp, packed up quickly and headed down the hill. We were attempting to get to I-10, but when we arrived at the intersection at Lordsburg we learned that a large section of I-10 had been closed all the way to Willcox in AZ due to high winds, blowing sand and multiple accidents. We had passed two ambulances on our way to Lordsburg, so apparently there were several injuries. Traffic was being redirected to hwy. 70, which took us back through Lordsburg, through narrow streets in the older town. 

Cutting around on the narrow roads took us on an interesting trek along with more long-haul trucks than you can imagine. We don't realize how many there are on the roads until they all get gathered up, waiting for the roads to open. Since we left Silver City a day early we didn't have reservations anywhere else, but the Trail Master always has a backup planned,"just in case".  We were running pretty late, but tried for a last minute spot in Roper Lake State Park, where we had reservations for the following night. No such luck, the car right in front of us grabbed the last vacancy. So, we turned around, went back to town and managed to get a night at the Graham County fairgrounds in Safford, AZ. We had the very last space in their RV area. Most fairgrounds rent facilities for RVs as the people who show horses and other livestock usually like to stay overnight so they can care for the animals. There wasn't a lot of livestock in residence at the time, just a few horses being boarded, but the dogs enjoyed sniffing out previous occupants and walking along the stalls and race track.

The surrounding hills and storm clouds were beautiful, and they were dusted with snow by morning. We were grateful to have survived the wind with no accidents. The fairgrounds was only a few miles away from our next reservation, Roper Lake State Park. 

Tuesday - We arrived at Roper Lake State Park mid-day. The sites are fairly large with natural vegetation between spaces to help privacy and to encourage wild life.

The weather was cold, but setting is so pretty we were sorry to have to close the door, as it blocked our view of the snowy mountains in the distance.  Wait! didn't we make a storm window for the screen door? There is was, the large sheets of plexiglass were safely stored behind the sofa. We hadn't used it for so long we'd almost forgotten it, and how to install it, but it only took a screwdriver and a few minutes. Now, no cold wind and lots of light along with a great view! After getting settled in we headed back into Safford for our Valentine's Day dinner at Casa Mañana, highly recommended by the park staff. 

The park is centered on a nice little lake and is noted for fishing and birdwatching, but the many hiking trails are an outstanding feature too. There are short trails in and around the rv area, and other more challenging trails that take hikers to the mesa top and out into open desert. 

The chilly temperatures and high winds continued, but the area is beautiul, so we made the decission to cancel the reservations we made at another park for two following nights and stay at Roper Lake. The decision did require us to move to another site, but that's not a problem. Once that was done the dogs and I took off to explore one of the longer trails, up Mariah Mesa. The views are amazing, and so was the wind blowing down from the snowy peaks in the distance. By the halfway point my eyes were watering so much from the wind I could hardly see where I was going. It was worth it though, and the trails are beautifully maintained and lined with small boulders of a variety of native stone. 

There are also signs along the way identifying several of the more common shrubs and trees, and information sign at the top of the mesa with information about the views.  We tried out another branch of the trail the next day, and thankfully the wind had settled down, and the temperature warmed up. For those who are interested in the native desert vegitation, the attention given to the plantings in the camping areas and along the trails is to be appreciated. The cactus and native trees are all carefully groomed and the grounds are immaculate. 

This is a beautiful park, offering fishing, birding, hiking, great photography opportunities, and swimming during most seasons. The sites are generous and many connect to the hiking trails, the restrooms are very nice, and there are covered shelters for picnicking near the water for day use groups to enjoy. 

View from the top of Mariah Mesa

You can view the rest of the photos in the The Arizona and New Mexico album. here

Standin' on a corner, in Winslow Arizona. . .

Black Canyon, just east of Boulder Dam

We left Boulder City early, knowing we had a long day ahead. Driving over the new bridge at Boulder dam, through the craggy mountains, enjoying some incredible views of the mountains on both sides of the highway. Leaving the mountains, we went on down hwy. 93 and into Arizona, over rolling plains covered with rich grasses where we could just imagine buffalo roaming in days gone by, then up through the pine covered mountains of Flagstaff, and then down onto the desert, arriving in Winslow in the afternoon. Our final destination, for a two night stay, was Homolovi State Park.

Homolovi State Park protects the remains of several Anasazi pueblos, and serves as a research center for  the late migration period of the Hopi, from the 1200-1300s.

Homolovi II ruins

The remains of structures have pretty much begun returning to the earth from whence they came, though here and there bits of wall, subterranean rooms, and the overall structure of the settlements can be seen.

There are pottery shards everywhere, left as they lie for visitors to admire. The variety of pottery styles that are seen among the shards is interesting.


The visitor's center is small, but has informative displays, and there are several trails to walk, one of which leads to a few small examples of rock art.

The campground spaces are generously sized, plenty long enough for our setup, wide, with lots of open ground between, and many small trees here and there. The land slopes a little, so other campsites don't block the view of the open desert.

Walking up the gentle rise at the edge of camp in the evening we saw the lights of Winslow, sparkling like diamonds in the dusty twilight. At full-dark, those little diamonds moved to the sky. Surely there are more stars here than we've seen in a long time!

After touring the pueblo ruins we wandered into Winslow to see what we could see. The town has a couple of claims to fame. One is the mention of Winslow in the Eagles' famous song "Take it Easy". 

There's even a mural and a bronze statue on main street to commemorate the song. That "girl in a flat bed Ford is featured in the mural, and she's lookin' pretty good! The building that the mural is painted on burned, but they managed to save the wall. Now, there's a park where the rest of the building once stood.

There's an annual music fest too, inspired by the band. This year's is coming up soon, on Sept. 27. The event website has details.

The historic Route 66 goes right through Winslow, as does the Southern Pacific railroad. Because the town has been such an important cog in the transportation system a  Hardy House was built here in 1930. It was named La Posada, "the resting place."

The hotel has been lovingly restored and is a real treat to visit. We had a delicious lunch in the hotel's Turquoise Room, and after lunch wandered the hotel admiring the historic furnishings, art, and garden spaces. Their gift shop offers beautiful Native American jewelery, as well as other handcrafted items, and we really enjoyed browsing.

Last but not least, following the information on a little brochure I picked up at the Homolovi Park visitor's center, we found our way down to Winslow's First Street, where a very attractive little park has been built along the railroad tracks. Central to the park is a totem pole carved by Peter "Wolf" Toth. He has carved one in each of the 50 states (two in some states) and this was the location he chose for his work in Arizona. Photos of each of his carvings, as well as his life story, are in his book "Indian Giver".

The predicted winds had picked up during lunch, and by the time we reached camp it was a full gale. We settled down to take the afternoon off, huddling on the lee side of the trailer, watching the afternoon shadows lengthen. We plan an early departure so as to get out of the area before the strong winds kick up again.

The photo album has more shots of the area, and of the beautiful La Posada hotel.

Hopi Land

Leaving Canyon de Chelly we traveled through the Hopi Reservation. A mere island in the center of the Navajo Reservation, the Hopi Reservation is only 2,531.773 sq. mi. and home to 6,900+ Hopi and Tewa Indians.

The population is centered around the three mesas, which each have several villages.They are rather sensitive about having photos taken of their homes and villages, so we didn't. We did stop at the Cultural Center, Second Mesa, and toured the museum and gift shop, and had lunch in the restaurant. The restaurant and hotel are fairly new, and there are some interesting architectural details. I was fascinated by the use of broken pottery shards to decorate the base of columns in the restaurant.

They had an interesting menu with a lot of traditional dishes. We chose what turned out to be a yummy stew of hominy and pintos with green chilis, served with blue corn flat bread (which they call a tortilla) or fry bread. We had one of each, and both were really good. We had purchased some blue corn flour at the grocery store in Chinle, so I'll experiment when we get home and see how close I can get to the authentic.

Having been without decent connections for so long we decided to push on to civilization, and spend the night at an RV park in Tuba City.

Sunday night - we checked in to the Quality Inn RV park - nice facility, for an RV park in the middle of town, and a little laundry room near our site, so time to get caught up on that too.

We had received sad news while in Canyon de Chelly, that one of our very best friends, Bill Barren, had passed away unexpectedly. We've been digesting the idea, as it's hard to grasp an unexpected death. We camped often with the Barrens and it will be strange to go to old familiar places without him. We took advantage of our good connections here in Tuba City to call friends and check in with Bill's wife, Grayce. Though it's dampened our spirits a bit, we know Bill would expect us to "press on" and so we shall, telling stories and remembering the good times spent with him as we go. And we'll have a Coors for him as we do it!

We decided to stay a second night here, so we could check out the Navajo museum next door. It was a good decision.

The museum is a complex consisting of an historic trading post which is still in use as a small grocery store and a gift shop, and outside the trading post is a replica hogan, where Steve posed with one of the reservation dogs that wanders around, looking for handouts.

There is also a museum telling the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, and a Navajo culture museum. All are well done, and the culture museum is interactive, designed to be easily understood and enjoyed by even young children.

In the gift shop I bought a Hopi cookbook, so hopefully we can put that blue corn flour we bought in Chinle to good use.

There are a few more photos in the album.

Time to move on toward the Grand Canyon, north rim.

Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly ...that's pronounced "Canyon da Shay". The Navajo word for the gorge is "tseyi" ... meaning "in the rocks" so the name is a mixture of Spanish and Navajo.

3,500 years ago, perhaps more, the canyon was home to hundreds of people who farmed the valley floors while they lived high above, in pueblos tucked safely in shallow caves in the high canyon walls. This culture thrived so many years ago we can only make "educated guesses" about many aspects of life then, based on the ruins and other cultural artifacts we find. It is fascinating to stand on top of the canyon rim and peer down into the ruins and imagine what life was like for the the people who lived here then. We know from plant materials that have been found that the climate was much wetter then, so farming would have been easier than it is now, and game probably more plentiful.

This archeological treasure is in the center of the Navajo Nation. Navajo farmers and ranchers now have more conventional homes on the valley floor, where they raise sheep, cattle, horses, and various crops to feed their families. Some old families own the rights to land in the canyon, but live in town, and come out to their ranches to work them as needed.

This canyon is also a geologic wonder. Brilliant red sandstone cliffs have been deeply eroded into fascinating shapes, and contrast beautifully with the green of the juniper trees. By afternoon each day there are usually puffy white thunderheads building on the horizon, and with the addition of a few stray wildflowers and blooming cactus here and there you just can't paint a prettier picture.

Visitors can no longer go into the valley floor without a guide, as I did with my family 40 years ago, which is understandable seeing how many residences are there. We stayed on the rim, looking down, admiring the depth and beauty of the canyon, the ruins in the cliffs, the rock art on the canyon walls, and the fluffy clouds overhead. What a wonderful experience.

Our touring was divided into day one, the visitor's center, day two, the south side of the canyon, and day three, the north side of the canyon. The visitor's center was a bit disappointing as far as the information/displays it offered, but we fortunately have other resources, so at least we knew what we were looking at.

Every lookout or parking area is populated with several vendors, anxious to sell their jewelry, pottery or paintings. The economics of the reservation have improved over the years, but most are still needing to make that extra dollar to supplement whatever their regular income is. We chatted with several of the vendors and found them very friendly, informative, and not at all pushy about selling their wares.

Day one - The south rim tour includes Spider Rock, where Spider Woman gave birth to the twelve gods. It was Spider Woman who taught the Navajo how to weave.

In any of the photos, look closely for the details like roads through the bottom of the canyon. These will give you a better sense of how deep and wide the canyon is.

There are several places where visitors can walk to the edge of the canyon and look down on the ranches below. At one of the stops while admiring the canyon below we noticed odd, bare circles in the green areas. It made the area look a little like moon craters.

The park ranger who was talking with visitors there explained they were caused by ant hills. We had already noticed a lot of ants in our campsite, but wow! These are huge! Compare them to the road cutting across the top, left corner of the photo.

While viewing the canyon with a group of other visitors we observed a major breech of travel etiquette that I can't help but comment on. Please, fellow travelers, don't go into Navaho Land and lecture a young ranger on how the Navajo should run things, just because you saw something done on a tour of Laos. This isn't Laos. The Navajo know what they are doing. They are successful capitalists, 'have been for generations, and will figure out for themselves what suits their culture!

Day two - The south rim tour includes Mummy Cave, in Canyon del Muerto.

The alcoves making up this site take their name from two mummified bodies, found still wrapped in yucca plant fiber, by an archeological expedition in 1882.

Antelope House is another stop on the south rim. It is so named because of the many antelope drawings on the canyon wall near the ruins. The paintings are just above the dark streak on the canyon wall to the left of the ruins.

 We were thankful we'd brought the binoculars to this site, as with the naked eye we would never have known where to look for the paintings.

As it is our zoom lenses weren't as adequate as we would have liked. You'll need to look at the photo of the paintings in full screen in order to seen them.

On the fourth day we went in to the closest town, Chinle [Chin (as in where your beard grows)-lee ] It's not a large town, but there was a pretty good grocery store, and we had good enough "connections"  to pick up email, and then we went for lunch at a local restaurant. We'd asked a couple of locals for recommendations and let that guide us. here are only a couple of restaurants in town and we heard the "locals" ate at the Best Western restaurant. It was full of locals, no question about that! TA Navajo taco and what amounted to a shredded beef sandwich on fry bread were our choices. We were a bit disappointed at the lack of any type of spices, but then, we are used to Texas cooking!

We spent all four days at the only campground in the area, Cottonwood, which is operated by the Navajo Nation Park Service. Nicely shaded with cottonwood trees, it was comfortable enough. There's no water or electric service, but the restrooms do have running water. 

Our only complaint... well, it was really Shiner's complaint, is that the sandy ground is full of goat-head burrs, and her poor feet suffered frequent stabs as she investigated on her daily walks.


Next stop, Hopi Land and Tuba City.

Hubbell Trading Post

We left Red Rock Campground, in Gallup, and headed west toward Canyon de Chelly. As we were passing right by it we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop at the historic Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona, and arrived there just in time for a quick snack before the tour started.

This trading post, and the Hubbell family, are well known as an important part of local history. The post was established in the late 1800's, and Hubbell was well respected by the Navajo people as he dealt fairly with them and accomplished a lot in building the local economy. The National Park Service has a great deal of information about the family and the history of the trading post on their website.

We learned a great deal from our guide on the tour. She was a Navajo woman who has been with the Park Service for 30 years.... well experienced! She was a wealth of information and answered all sorts of questions, as well as teaching us a little about the Navajo language and history.

The Hubbell home is just as it was when they lived there, but even so, it's much like a museum. The Hubbells collected blankets, baskets and other native art works, and furnished the home lavishly with these items.The living room in particular is so filled with these items there isn't room for one more item. We couldn't use a flash, so this photo of the living room is pretty fuzzy, but you get the idea. There are several more interior photos (sharper too!) in the album, so check it out.

The trading post proper is attached to the house, and is still in operation, with the rooms used as they were in the past - devoted to jewelry, blankets, and grocery type items. Overhead there are smaller items, leather items like belts and cinches, lanterns, whatever will hang on a hook or nail. In the photo, left, you can see an interesting rifle collection mounted on the wall just to the left of center. There's a surprise in every corner, as the trading post is bursting with items for sale, as I'm sure it was in the past.

In the stable, there are wagons and buckboards, tack, and other old agricultural items to examine, and in back, the gardens and chicken coops are still in use. It's an amazing experience to wander around and see so much still in use. 

Many people traveled from great distances to come here and conduct business, and Mr. Hubbell wanted his guests to feel comfortable so he had several guest hogans (the traditional Navajo dwelling) built and made available for their use.

One is built of stone, the others are the more typical adobe and wood, but all have been beautifully maintained and offer a nice opportunity to examine the construction at close range.

This is one of the nicest parks of this type that we've ever visited, and definitely one of the most informative.