Flagstaff, AZ to Farmington, NM (Days 7 & 8)
The next morning i left Flagstaff and drove north on US 180. The drive to the Grand Canyon was only about an hour and a half. Very shortly after i left the city, i drove by Humphrey's Peak, a mountain i was destined to be running across on the horizon all day. It is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 ft.
i approached the Grand from the south. As i meandered through nondescript scrubland, i started looking around for it. i've been to a number of National Parks: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mammoth Cave, Acadia... the list goes on and on. All of them looked like Parks. Most of them you could see coming from miles away. Crossing the Wyoming prairies you can see the Tetons from so far away that you spend about an hour and a half thinking, "i must be almost there!"
The Grand Canyon is stealthy. It sneaks up on you. i drove up to the first lookout parking lot still wondering if i was in the right place. As i walked up to the railing, the Canyon spilled out in front of me. It was as if the Earth was opening it's mouth in a great big yawn. Thirty yards from this, you wouldn't know it was there...
...yet it is quite possibly one of the most spectacular sights on the planet. It is unbelievably large. Even standing before it, i could not fathom it's size. It is visible from space. i am the first member of my family to reach it.
The trails down to the bottom of the Canyon are two-day affairs and, despite hard work i am still not physically fit enough to attempt it in June. The hike i really wanted to do, the Hermit's Rest Trail, was unfortunately closed during my visit. But the Rim Trail is very well maintained and not much traveled if you're willing to walk a few miles from the visitor's centers. Getting a little solitude in the Park is important. This place presents you with a lot to ponder.
In this last Canyon picture, you can see the mighty Colorado River flowing through...
i spent the entire day at the Grand. It really deserves more than that, but alas, a day was all i had. So i turned back East for the first time, on Arizona Route 64. As i made my way to Tuba City for the night, i entered the Navajo Lands. That evening everyone i encountered was Navajo. Gas station attendants, motel clerks, and even Taco Bell cashiers. There were tons of roadside stands selling pottery, jewelry, and rugs.
Tuba City was an oddity. There were three motels in town, a Quality Inn and two mom 'n' pop places. One of the independent motels was $64 (twice what i was accustomed to paying) and had no A/C. The other was $74. Given that the Quality Inn came in only $10 higher, i decided to stay there. It was the only night i spent in a chain hotel.
i thought i would be really bitter about shelling out so much for a room. But let me just say... it was worth ALL 84 dollars. The sheets were clean, the A/C was powerful, the pillows and the comforter were feather. The shower was hot and the TV wasn't green. i took a shower that night so i could fully appreciate the experience clean. They also gave me a coupon for a free breakfast at the diner next door and free espresso at this cute little coffee shop. i left Tuba City feeling very spoiled.
i headed southeast on Arizona 264, and crossed the Hopi Lands, also called the Painted Desert.
The Hopi Indians are known throughout the area as keeping the closest to their traditions. Most of the Natives there still live in traditional homes and are proficient in traditional arts, mostly pottery and weaving. After leaving the reservation i traveled north on US 191 to the town of Chinle, gateway to Canyon de Chelley (pronounced Shay).
This was probably the highlight of the whole trip. This is one of the most spectacular places i have ever seen. The Grand may be bigger, the Pine Creek may be greener, but this one took my breath away.
For those of you who believe in a very involved God... can you just see hands sculpting these rocks? To me they look like they were shaped on a potter's wheel. Ironic, since the Natives who inhabit it are renowned for pottery.
Sprinkled along the North Wall, there are more cliff dwellings and ruins. The Navajo people do not allow outsiders to enter the Canyon without a guide. There are still many Native people inside the Canyon, living and farming the land.
After i left Canyon de Chelley, i drive north and east to the trading post of Teec Nos Pos and then detoured a few miles north to see the Four Corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states meet. Simultaneously, i stood in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.
After that i said goodbye to Arizona and crossed back into New Mexico. The color of the rock seemed immediately to change from red back to brown. And this very spectacular rock called Ship Rock loomed out of the desert. The Navajo say that on a hot summer day, viewed at sunset from the South, it looks like a ship sailing on a sea of desert. This view is from the west, unfortunately, but i still think it's pretty remarkable.
i approached the Grand from the south. As i meandered through nondescript scrubland, i started looking around for it. i've been to a number of National Parks: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mammoth Cave, Acadia... the list goes on and on. All of them looked like Parks. Most of them you could see coming from miles away. Crossing the Wyoming prairies you can see the Tetons from so far away that you spend about an hour and a half thinking, "i must be almost there!"
The Grand Canyon is stealthy. It sneaks up on you. i drove up to the first lookout parking lot still wondering if i was in the right place. As i walked up to the railing, the Canyon spilled out in front of me. It was as if the Earth was opening it's mouth in a great big yawn. Thirty yards from this, you wouldn't know it was there...
...yet it is quite possibly one of the most spectacular sights on the planet. It is unbelievably large. Even standing before it, i could not fathom it's size. It is visible from space. i am the first member of my family to reach it.
The trails down to the bottom of the Canyon are two-day affairs and, despite hard work i am still not physically fit enough to attempt it in June. The hike i really wanted to do, the Hermit's Rest Trail, was unfortunately closed during my visit. But the Rim Trail is very well maintained and not much traveled if you're willing to walk a few miles from the visitor's centers. Getting a little solitude in the Park is important. This place presents you with a lot to ponder.
In this last Canyon picture, you can see the mighty Colorado River flowing through...
i spent the entire day at the Grand. It really deserves more than that, but alas, a day was all i had. So i turned back East for the first time, on Arizona Route 64. As i made my way to Tuba City for the night, i entered the Navajo Lands. That evening everyone i encountered was Navajo. Gas station attendants, motel clerks, and even Taco Bell cashiers. There were tons of roadside stands selling pottery, jewelry, and rugs.
Tuba City was an oddity. There were three motels in town, a Quality Inn and two mom 'n' pop places. One of the independent motels was $64 (twice what i was accustomed to paying) and had no A/C. The other was $74. Given that the Quality Inn came in only $10 higher, i decided to stay there. It was the only night i spent in a chain hotel.
i thought i would be really bitter about shelling out so much for a room. But let me just say... it was worth ALL 84 dollars. The sheets were clean, the A/C was powerful, the pillows and the comforter were feather. The shower was hot and the TV wasn't green. i took a shower that night so i could fully appreciate the experience clean. They also gave me a coupon for a free breakfast at the diner next door and free espresso at this cute little coffee shop. i left Tuba City feeling very spoiled.
i headed southeast on Arizona 264, and crossed the Hopi Lands, also called the Painted Desert.
The Hopi Indians are known throughout the area as keeping the closest to their traditions. Most of the Natives there still live in traditional homes and are proficient in traditional arts, mostly pottery and weaving. After leaving the reservation i traveled north on US 191 to the town of Chinle, gateway to Canyon de Chelley (pronounced Shay).
This was probably the highlight of the whole trip. This is one of the most spectacular places i have ever seen. The Grand may be bigger, the Pine Creek may be greener, but this one took my breath away.
For those of you who believe in a very involved God... can you just see hands sculpting these rocks? To me they look like they were shaped on a potter's wheel. Ironic, since the Natives who inhabit it are renowned for pottery.
Sprinkled along the North Wall, there are more cliff dwellings and ruins. The Navajo people do not allow outsiders to enter the Canyon without a guide. There are still many Native people inside the Canyon, living and farming the land.
After i left Canyon de Chelley, i drive north and east to the trading post of Teec Nos Pos and then detoured a few miles north to see the Four Corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states meet. Simultaneously, i stood in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.
After that i said goodbye to Arizona and crossed back into New Mexico. The color of the rock seemed immediately to change from red back to brown. And this very spectacular rock called Ship Rock loomed out of the desert. The Navajo say that on a hot summer day, viewed at sunset from the South, it looks like a ship sailing on a sea of desert. This view is from the west, unfortunately, but i still think it's pretty remarkable.
posted by ellie at 14:28
3 Comments:
I love the grand canyon. I've been several times, the last time while I was preggers with Annabeth. I'm not sure when we will go back (I have an irrational fear that the girls will fall down the side - so it will probably be when they are older), but you are right - it is an awesome place.
Thanks for sharing all these pictures - I've now seen places that I've never seen before, which is awesome. I especially like the native pictures. And the last one - I bet it does look like a ship!
how beautiful! wow - you've had a great summer. i've never been out west - and you've given me a dozen reasons to go. the pictures are breath taking - and im sure it's even more so in person.
glad you had such a good trip. i've missed your posts but they were worth the wait. WOW!
I think YOU'RE pretty remarkable... :)
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