Onwards to the Grand Canyon

Leaving Canyon de Chelly we had a day of firsts.  Our first real diner, (no middle-aged waitresses), our first herd of white buffalo and our first, and probably only, meteor crater.  This is the road into the site of the crater (which is impossible to photograph whole).  

Apparently astronauts practice something here.  Looks as bleak as the moon.  At the bottom is something that looks like a launching pad.  This is just one small corner.

These people bought a pregnant buffalo that threw a white calf and the rest is history.  They now have a 'herd' of 9 and a tourism attraction.  They are DNA proven 100% buffalo - no beef.

And then we arrived at the Grand Canyon and our camp site.  We actually spent the night before going into the park.  The day was windy and quite hazy really, but warm.  

A very tame squirrel.  One of many photos. 

This watchtower was designed by a woman in the 1930s taking her inspiration from ancient watchtowers from this area.  She then commissioned a Hopi Indian artist to paint the inside which is spectacular.  She is responsible for 4 or 5 other buildings in this area that blend into the background, for example, the famous Phantom Lodge at the bottom of the canyon.

The canyon in developing afternoon light.

This morning we awoke to 4 inches of snow in the campground and about 6-7 in the park.  We were very surprised.  It meant our trip by helicopter into the canyon was cancelled though which is a pity.  Still, it is so beautiful.  

We dashed back into the canyon for a few snow shots.  

And now we're heading off to Las Vegas via part of the old Route 66.  It's about a 5 hour drive without stopping so it should take us all day.  Doesn't matter though 'cause Las Vegas is a night-time city.  

Hope all is well with everyone out there in blog-land.  Special hi and hugs to Arthur.  Hope you are getting these.

Bye for now.

Canyon de Chelley to Grand Canyon

Back in touch after a few days free camping at Canyon de Chelly.  In the meantime we've been to "The Four Corners"  where 4 states meet, we've been down into the canyon with a Navaho guide who was born and bred on the canyon floor.  One is only allowed into the canyon with an approved guide.  We've also been to the petrified forest and the painted desert and seen more petroglyphs.  Let's begin.

Gorgeous horses with foals running freely around the canyon.  If wanted, the owners round them up.

This is in the painted desert and is a famous petroglyph of a bird pecking a frog (or is that a baby?).

This is a famous Route 66 Painted Desert Inn which no longer operates as a diner.  It is however a gift shop and an historic building.  Amazing inside too.

Painted Desert.

This is a Roadrunner with Lizard in mouth spied by Clancy, apparently a rare sight now. Clancy also has this bird on video running across the, yes, the road!

Petrified Log.

Ruins from Canyon de Chelly

Spider rock rises from the canyon bottom 800 feet and is the source of Indian legends about spider teaching Navaho women to weave.

Backdrop of the painted desert.  It is amazing how vast this area is, miles and miles between towns and very high elevations.  6-8 thousand feet most of the time.  

We've just arrived at the Grand Canyon RV park and found out they have no Internet connection.  Bummer.  So, we begged a closing cafe worker for the password so we could get off a quick blog to our fans.  The pictures are a bit helter skelter today and not in order but there you go.   Needs must.  

Next blog we have seen a meteorite crater (huge!) a herd of white buffalo (penned) and eaten at a real diner on Route 66.  Route 66 is now an historic route but because of the Interstate nearby, most of the businesses appear to be dying despite a following of older bikies and others retracing the route from Chicago to California.  

Hope all is well at home.  It is starting to feel like we are preparing to return.  Planning our last days and our route.  Love to all.

Us.

Outback Adventures

We're heading for Canyon de Chelly today and it looks like there is little in the way of electricity or Internet connections.  Not sure when we will be able to be in touch again, maybe 2 or 3 days.  Until then.....love to all.

Cliff-Dwellings

Today we visited Mesa Verde National Park.  It was quite a long drive into the park and the visitor centre was at an elevation of 7,000 feet.  The cliff-dwellers and the mesa dwellers above them numbered about 6,000 in this area.  They farmed corn, beans and squash and had storage areas for firewood, water and food.  Nobody really knows why they left but they only lived here for about 100 to 125 years.  The people used little toe and finger holds in the rock walls to clamber about and believe me, there are some shear drops.  We had the luxury of ladders and steps.  

This picture is just a mistake.  Ignore.

Except for this bit which was a 12 foot tunnel.  Here you see the intrepid Clancy doing her best to emerge into the light.  

This is the largest of the cliff-dwellings known as Cliff Palace.  There are lots of dwelling places and lots of ceremonial "kivas" which are round and each family unit seemed to have their own.  However, they now believe this particular village was a gathering place for people from all over for trading and ceremonies.  

This is a Kiva.  It would originally have had a roof and people would have entered from the top down a ladder.  We had the chance to enter a reconstructed one this afternoon and it was lovely and cool.  However, they often had fires in this rooms.  

Speaking of fires, about 2/3rds of the park has been burned in three years of fires since 2002.  Partly to do with drought and partly with the move to suppress fires anyway and partly to do with some beetle, the result has been rather disastrous.  Many, many acres of burnt crispy trees that are now fuel for the next fire.  All started by lightening too.  

And now to bed.  Tomorrow we head to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de Shay).  

Bye for now.

Rock Art Day

One of the few things that moved faster than us today.  Finally got a good shot of a lizard.

These are bits of wood forced into the cracks between the rock faces that assisted climbing higher.  Perhaps there is more rock art higher up?  

Here is one of a row of reindeer and we think bear and bison.  We think bear have 6 toes and people have 5 although this is not always consistent.

Clear hunting pictographs.  Not sure yet what the wagon wheel is.  

Mary in front of Moonflower canyon.  Pictographs behind the fence.  

I particularly liked this one of a bison or buffalo.  Lovely straight back and very clear. 

This is known as newspaper rock.  Can you guess why?  Pretty busy huh?

This is a hunting scene.  Although the bunny is big, I think it is doomed.

Here is Clancy clambering around looking for rock art.  Unbeknownst to us both we were on the wrong side of the rock face, but Clancy is very good at knowing when we are going in the wrong direction.  

I was going to put a little collection of desert flowers here but the downloading has been so slow tonight, that I've run out of time and energy.  

Tomorrow we are going into Mesa Verde National Part for the day.  We think we may be here for 2 or 3 nights.  There is such a lot to see.  Will keep you posted.  

Keep up with the comments.  We turn on our computer about twice a day to see who might have communicated. 

Love to all.

Us

Moab

We had a "day of rest" yesterday and spent most of it in a little town called Moab.  It was hot and a little dusty and we shopped and ate.  We also tried to get a place on the "Canyonlands by Night" tour but it wasn't being held that night.  Pity, as we're off today.  

I snapped this with my tripod and timer at sun set last night.  We were out hunting critters.  Saw little white-tailed ground squirrels - very shy, rabbits - not, and a few pretty birds.  I am very sold on tripods.  Thanks to Megan for the photography book which I have been reading.  Very helpful!

This is in front of a gift shop in Moab.  So-o-o much stuff it is overwhelming.  And this is just one gift shop.  There were maybe 5 more around the town.  Yes, we saw them all.  But these wind sculptures were amazing.  We inquired as to the price and they start at $500.  Sigh.  Clancy will just have to make some.

And here is our lunch, half of which came home with us for today.  We try to remember to share one meal, but forgot yesterday.  Clancy is really enjoying Mexican food as long as it is not spicy hot.  

Just a window detail from the restaurant.

And today we're off in search of Pictographs and Petroglyphs (yes, I know the difference).  We might make it as far as Mesa Verde, but I doubt it.  

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