Puebloan Mysteries: Touring Canyon del Muerto

The next day, May 8th, our Off the Beaten Path group was in for a real treat. We would go on a four-wheel (4x4) driving tour of Canyon de Chelly, particularly Canyon del Muerto, which splits north from the main canyon. We had only viewed these features from above the day before. Joan and I were particularly eager after reading Lucy Moore's memoir, Into the Canyon: Seven Years in Navajo Country, as a prelude to this trip. Our Antelope House Tours driver/guide, Adam Teller, was a young boy during Lucy's time there, 1968-1975. (Lucy held various roles in the community, including insurance agent, Headstart teacher, justice of the peace, and mom -- she gave birth to two boys there.)

 

Antelope House Tours is 100% owned and operated by Navajo (Diné), while not all are. It's not a lodge or park service -- there were no intermediaries between us and the Diné.

We piled in and began our journey. The 4x4 would cross the river several times, crossing beaches and climbing banks. Hold onto your seat!

 

Soon, we were gazing at our first batch of petroglyphs, chiseled into the canyon walls over thousands of years. The older ones, subjected to more centuries of weathering, have lower contrast. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Nearby,

and a pond, a welcome seasonal oasis!

Continuing on, we arrived at this vertical face. There's something way, way up there...

Get out your binoculars:

Needless to say, we didn't climb up there. Over the next few hours there will be plenty to inspect.

Hunters and game?

Hmmm ... not fish bones anyway ...

I was intrigued by this one. Could the dots represent the monthly lunar cycle?

We reached the intersection with Canyon del Muerto, the "canyon of the dead." The canyon system's history is deep, involving transient hunters ca. 2500 BCE, Ancient Puebloans, the Hopi, the Navajo, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and most recently, the Americans. Here we encountered the Junction House.

Zooming in, we could see petroglyphs.

Nearby, more petroglyphs.

A few minutes further took us to First Ruin, so-called because it was the first ruin encountered by Col. James Stevenson when surveying the canyon in 1882.

Here's the zoom-in image:

Adjacent to First House is what I call a dramatic "shaven cliff."

Rolling on up the canyon, another fifteen minutes took us to this spot. You'll note that the river is now a mere creek, at least at this time of year -- the spring melt can generate a flood -- and a habitation nestles in the trees at far left. Click on the image to enlarge.

Noontime meant an extended visit at Antelope House, including lunch. (The fry bread was great!) We met several members of Adam's family, who were universally cheerful, and there was much to explore. This was the view across the valley.

Gazing further up the canyon.

The Antelope House site.

Here Bob Moore, Lucy's husband, and Ben Teller, our driver's father, built a cabin in 1972. As fans of Lucy's memoir, we had to check it out.

Joan approaches the cabin.

The front ...

Joan and I also scouted out some locations of the famous (hair-raising for the Anglos) Baby Trail (pages 82-84 in Lucy's book). Lucy and Bob were guided down from the top of the canyon by Ben Teller and a seven-year-old Adam. From our point of view, at the bottom, first were hand/footholds carved out of the sandstone.

Then, a log ladder in the lower reaches.

Various ledges ensue. Then, near the top, you'll see a pair of sticks just below the skyline, center, if you click on the image. Another ladder.

It's not a trail for Joan and me.

As a special treat, Adam sang songs while playing on a buffalo hide drum. He also discussed some of Navajo history vis-a-vis the Hopi, Spanish, and Anglos from the Navajo point of view.

Then, it was time to begin our return journey. We had a welcome rest stop near this grove of trees.

Half an hour down the road, we stopped to check out the White House site.

Here's looking at it from a vertical point of view. You can see how these locations were safe from enemies up at the canyon rim.

And then, after a thoroughly absorbing day outdoors, Adam drove us back to the Thunderbird Lodge for a cleanup and dinner.

Tomorrow, we'll visit wildly different historic sites on our way to Grants, New Mexico.

Puebloan Mysteries: Canyon de Chelly

On May 7th our Off the Beaten Path group departed Farmington, New Mexico, and headed for Chinle, Arizona, and the Canyon de Chelly. Driving west, we paused for a good look at Shiprock. This photo emphasizes how it dominates the horizon, rising over 1500 feet above the high-desert plain. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

I set my camera to max zoom for this image.

After gawking for a while, we continued on. The flat plain gave way to switchbacks as we ascended to Buffalo Pass.

The paved road is relatively recent - 1999.

It's a kick-off point for various trails, but subject to the rules of the Navajo Nation.

The altitude and a breeze made for a chilly stop despite the sunshine.

You can tell which way the wind most often blows.

The view towards where we'd come from was impressive. The little arrow I added points to Shiprock (click on the image to enlarge.)

Again, the camera at max zoom.

After a thrilling descent down the far side, we passed through the Lukachukai community (our guide John named his dog Lukachukai) and stopped at some of the first overlooks down into the extensive Canyon de Chelly system.

Ancient structures were tucked into sheltering alcoves.

Navajo still live and work on the green floor of the canyon.

After the long drive, it was time for lunch at the Junction Restaurant in Chinle. Afterward, we stopped at the official Visitor Center for the National Monument. Of course, we checked out the park store. Then one of the rangers, a Navajo woman, treated us to a tour of the on-site hogan, the primary traditional dwelling of the Navajo. (No photos.) This was a special treat; it pays to be a small group with a guide who "knows the ropes!"

Our next stop was at the Antelope House Overlook.

There were warning signs at the edge, of course.

A closeup of the one on the right ...

It was flatly impossible to get all of the canyon into one sweep of my camera.

Here's a more detailed view, emphasizing the work of eons of water flow: a flat, farmable/grazeable bottom defined by towering vertical cliffs.

A look in the upstream direction.

Millions of years of uplift and stream cutting reveal the pancake-thin layers of sandstone.

 

Adding color was this blooming cactus.

A detailed look at the geology of Canyon de Chelly is here.

 

We delayed dinner to experience the Spider Rock in the late afternoon. This sandstone spire rises 750 feet from the canyon floor, and according to Navajo tradition the taller spire is the home of Spider Grandmother.

Zooming in,

A broad viewing platform has been built,

allowing inspection of all the arms at this junction between Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon.

Structures were visible along a far wall.

There was so much to observe. As the sun grew lower, the shadows began to climb up the spire. If you click on this image to enlarge, you'll see a black spot with wings to the right of the spire, crossing in front of the sandstone pile near the shadow's border.

It's a raven. As the evening drew closer more ravens arrived, cawing to each other, swirling, and performing aerobatic maneuvers. As we walked back in the late dusk to the parking lot, they gathered into a mass and flew away. Roosting time, no doubt.

It had been a packed day. Now we looked forward to tomorrow with great anticipation: a four-wheeler drive up the canyon floor with a Navajo driver/guide. There's a lot to see.