Canyon de Chelly, AZ

Yippee!!! We got onto the full day canyon tour!  There were only five people instead of six, but they went ahead with us anyway.  It had rained the night before, so the canyon floor was filled with water as we got underway.   It was a good thing we were in a large vehicle because if there wasn't water, there was mud.

Our Navajo guide, Ron, told us that we had to wait until we got to the junction of the two canyons to see if they were passable.  First thing in the morning there are a lot of vehicles in the canyon - half day tours with vehicles like ours, private jeep tours, and tours where the clients use their own cars.   Since we were going for the full day, Ron passed up the first stops and got ahead of everyone else.  The water continued to flow as we went along, and we stopped in spite of it to view some ruins.

  

When we made it to the junction, Ron told us that we probably wouldn't be able to go the whole way to Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly because the water was too deep in that canyon.  So, we started up the North canyon, Canyon del Muerto.  It was amazing to see the water flowing like a large stream down the canyons.  In a little while, we came across some people standing at the side of the water flow.  The woman started talking to Ron in Navajo, and he told us that she was one of the vendors who sold jewelry in the Canyon and she had come that far but was not sure if her truck would make it through the water.  Ron was going to go through first to show her the depth of the water and the path through it.  She came around in a Ford F150 and waited until we crossed.  The water was probably 2-3 feet deep.  We didn't have any problem getting across.  I guess the one thing she had going for her was that she was brave enough and knew not to stop, no matter what.  She was almost across and the water was splashing so high that her entire windshield was covered with muddy water.  She gunned the engine and came out on higher land!  We all applauded!  Dave and another woman, Nancy, were the main photographers on the trip, but we were all so engrossed watching to see if she was going to make it that no one took a picture.  Later we saw her at one of the ruins selling jewelry and fry bread.  Everyone gave her kudos for making it across.  She was sitting in front of a very muddy looking truck with the hood raised to dry out the engine.  I bought several pieces of jewelry from her, and everyone had some fry bread.  As you can see, our truck made it through just fine...

There were so many sights to see in the canyon, and honestly, I can't remember all the names to attach to the pictures.  But Dave took some beautiful shots that show some of the pictographs, petroglyphs, and ruins.  They will give you a feel for the canyon.

The water began to flow less as we headed for Mummy Cave at the end of Canyon del Muerto. At one point, Ron had to stop the truck because the water had gouged out a path across the road that was about 18 inches high and 4-5 feet wide. It was too deep and wide to get across. He must have had this situation before because he got out, took a shovel from the front of the truck, and began to knock down the sides so the truck could pass. Since there was only one shovel, he did the work himself.

Didn't take long to get back on the road to Mummy Cave.  Couldn't get too close to these ruins, but we had lunch there before heading back. Mummy Cave was named after they found several mummies there. I like the picture below because you can see the ruins in the background.

It was really funny on the way back out of the canyon to see the energy level of everyone begin to drop.  By this time, we had been out for about 5 hours and the jostling of the jeep was beginning to wear on everyone.  The funny banter we had shared on the way in was replaced with silence and possibly a little nap for some.  I know I had my eyes closed a few times.  When we got back to the junction of the canyons, Ron told us that we could go to White House Ruin, but that would be the end of the journey.  The water was still running in Canyon de Chelly, although it wasn't as high.  More beautiful scenery and finally White House Ruin was  in sight.  We all jumped out of the truck to take a closer look and pictures.  Then back to the top of the canyon and dinner.  It was a long, yet beautiful experience!