Canyon de Chelly

A close friend spent his vacations in Chaco Canyon and always shared his delight in the area. Wanting to know what he was talking about, Jerry and I spent an amazing day deep in the fine sand at the bottom of the canyon. We hired a Navaho guide to show us the ruins and give us background on the Anasazi who first lived in the canyon.

























Jerry wisely turned the keys over to Kee whose expertise took us on quite a ride. The white sand is deep and rutted, requiring great skill to navigate. Kee explained the sites and answered our simple and, sometimes, knowing questions. The walls have thousands of petrogylphs (carved) and pictographs (painted) created by former Anasazi, Navaho, and Hopi residents. We also were thrilled by a native flute serenade echoing off the high sandstone walls. As we headed back to the visitor’s center, two mustangs hurried past us to a watering hole. They kindly posed for Jerry.


























After our wonderful wild ride, we drove the rim of the canyon looking down 500-800 feet to our path below.