We arrived back at Spiderock Campground on time only to learn that the canyon tour had been rescheduled for noon. This gave us time to head back to White House Ruin and actually do the hike. It's the only hike in Canyon de Chelly you can take without a park ranger or an authorized Navajo guide. It's 2.5 miles round trip with some quick elevation drop. Not a problem going down but one must always go back up. At this elevation, we could feel the difference in our lungs, which are used to moist, Pacific Northwest air closer to sea level. Add to this the impending heat. It was a very good idea to hike in the morning.
The Navajo still live in Canyon de Chelly and you can see sheep, a farm and a field on the way down to White House (so named because of the once white-washed walls of the structures). You can also see a hogan, a traditional dwelling that you spot all over Navaho land. Some are more modern looking than others but you can always tell which land is Navajo-owned.
You can't get close to the ruin (thanks to a chain link fence to ward of moronic purveyors of vandalism) but you can easily get shots through the fence. At first I was excited to discover a vault toilet but it was NAS-TEE. I once used a vault toilet so nasty I had to hold my breath and leave the door open while Sally stood guard. Still, I ran out with eyes watering and the smell on my clothes for several minutes. At least while hiking you have the chance to duck somewhere to pop a squat. Not so at White House Ruin so you'd better hold it. Also at the bottom are Navajo craftspeople selling their wares. Bring cash. You also see the jeep tours arriving that bring folks down to the ruins and beyond.
On our way back up we crossed paths with a very old, very tiny Navajo sheperdess, decked out in a long skirt, velour long-sleeved shirt, backpack, lots and lots of jewelry, a huge walking stick and a head covering. Straight out of a book. I thought I was hallucinating. She stopped and began talking to me. Though she spoke only a handful of English words, it was easy to understand that she was a sheperdess and every single day she walked her sheep from one part of the canyon to another. I'm not at all sure how long of a walk this was but at her age it was impressive. My first instinct was ask her for a photo of the two of us, but I felt silly and touristy. Speaking of photography, no photos are permitted of Navajo people or their animals without permission. But you are allowed to photograph all the ruins you like.
Sally descends into the valley.
View from the top. It's about 600 ft. to the bottom.
I love lizards. I know a dude in Denver with one named Lizardo.
At the bottom we admire a Navajo farm.
You can see a traditional hogan in the foreground to the right of the tree.
White House Ruin. There are two levels. One on the ground and one in the cliff. The streaks in the rock are caused by iron.
Close-up of petroglyphs. We met up with Gisella back at the hotel parking lot at noon and met our guide, Ben, with Canyon Jeep Tours. For $50 each we got a personalized, four-hour driving tour. A much better deal and situation than being one of about 15-20 on a giant "jeep" with the top cut off. Ben couldn't have been nicer. He had stories of growing up in the canyon, his family, his culture. He knew every nook and cranny, pointed out petroglyps and interesting natural rock formations.
Canyon De Chelly National Monument is actually several canyons that branch out from the visitor center: Canyon Del Muerto, Black Rock Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, Monument Canyon, and Bat Canyon. Our jeep tour took us into Canyon De Chelly' via the south rim.
Ben would stop to let us get pictures, water breaks, leg stretch breaks. He was a great driver too. It's a challenging ride. Lots of washes to cross, all dirt or sand. Down one side then up the other. It's not a ride for someone who can't take being bounced around. You might get wet. You definitely will get sandy in places. Ben also took us to his property to see the cliff dwellings that reside right in his backyard. Keep in mind that the entire canyon is a sacred place to the Navajo. No photos are allowed of people or animals without permission. Photos of the ruins and general scenery are permitted. Think of a group pf people touring your house. You'd probably say forget it. So travelling through Canyon de Chelly is a special arrangement. Be respectful.
Visiting the canyon was really important to Sally who spent two weeks helping a Navajo family herd sheep when she was 17. She recounts that it was the first time in her life she realized what it meant to live a life outside of a city (She grew up in Denver). Her time with the Navajo family introduced her to a life without car traffic, industrial noise, airplanes flying over, and lots pf people. In the remoteness of the Canyon there was quiet and land for miles and solitude and stars. It made a lasting impression.
The first ruin we came to is called, of course, First Ruin.
From a distance
Close up.
Driving along the canyon floor.
Far away.
Close up.
Plenty of petroglyphs in this canyon. We drove through only a fraction of it and saw only a fraction of the existing petroglyphs within that.
Way up in that crevise in the rock...
are ancient apartments surrounded by petroglyphs.
A sneak peak at a natural arch, days before we get to Arches National Park.
More cliff dwellings.
Spider Rock. The destination of the day. 800 feet high, this sacred rock, according to Native culture, is where Spider Woman lived. She taught the Navajo (Dineh) people how to weave on a loom. Spider Woman was also used to warn Navajo children against bad behavior, lest she lower her web to capture them and bring them back up to the top of the rock to devour them!
Gisella, Sally, and Ben, our guide.
I know it doesn't look like it, but we are having a great time. I can't really explain these sour faces.
Hopefully, you can see the different colors in this group of carvings. There is yellow on the left and far right. Even a purple color at the far right. There was alot going on in this collection. You get the shots you can, sometimes while sitting in the jeep while it's running. Better than nothing. If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can then pick out some shapes and colors.
You might have to click on this photo to enlarge it to see the four figures standing in about the center of this shot.
This is Ben's property. In his back yard, beyond his fruit trees, are centuries old cliff dewllings.
Ben explained that these panels on the rock were painted white to maximize reflected light into the apartments. So imagine an intact structre standing here. If you entered it, the back wall (the side of the cliff) would be painted white to reflect sunlight that might enter.
Back on top on our ride out of the Canyon. Here are shots of what we drove through earlier.
Two shots of the same distant cliff dwelling. In the above shot we can see the ruin in the bottom right corner and notice how far from the top of the cliff it sits. Below, in the upper left corner, we see how high off the ground it sits.
After hiking and touring we had a hearty dinner, including Navajo fry bread, at the Junction Resteraunt. Choices are extremely limited for Chinle dining. Leftovers made mid-morning breakfast the next day when we were rained out of Mesa Verde.
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