It’s the last day of 2021. I find myself driving back home after my time with family for Christmas and my Canyonlands adventures, but with one final stop in Monument Valley. No better place to wish 2021 farewell and to welcome in a new year. 2021 was as exhausting and draining as 2020, and so…
Tag: Navajo Nation
Lee’s Ferry
No matter how much time has passed between casts, fishing is always a reliable source of relaxation for me. The early dawn finds me pulling the dust covered truck into the empty parking lot, Lee’s Ferry before me. Lee’s Ferry is the launching area for fly fisherman to find the sweet spot along the Colorado…
The road to White Pocket, the Wave, etc…
For years have I been trying to get a permit to hike The Wave, yet no matter how many times I’ve entered the lottery, the only thing that seem to happen is the BLM takes my money, with no return on my investments. The road to this area is close to Cliff Dwellers, and so…
Cathedral Wash
As the coffee was percolating, I find a hand written guide book about local hikes in the area. I settle on hiking Cathedral Wash in the Glen Canyon area. I need to get an early start as the Labor Day Holiday weekend is seeing an excessive heat wave hit the Western United States. It’s not…
Cliff dwellers
I’ve been home from Alaska for almost a whole week. Having successfully survived traveling extensively during a pandemic, I felt more confident trying to resume my normal exploratory routine going forward, and so I scrambled trying to find something to do last minute for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. After some blood, sweat and tears…
The Great Spirit of Grand Falls
searching for Grand Falls on the Navajo Reservation, which, when flowing, is larger than Niagara Falls.
Monument Valley
Three Sisters rises before all those that gaze upon the valley in monolithic silence. You realize your insignificance as your toes bury themselves in the red sand as the wind howls across the landscape. I eat a bowl of Navajo stew and let it warm my stirring soul as the the sun slowly goes from East…
Mesa Verde
Sometimes a road trip can alleviate all your stresses and worries that come from every day life. I leave Phoenix at mid-day on a Friday and head to the remote town of Chinle, arriving as the sun sets. In the morning I make it the rest of the way to my destination, Mesa Verde. My…
Tusayan
The fallen snow does its best to cover the past. The crunching of my boots on the frozen ground is the only sound in the subzero morning. I see stone markings of the ancient ones in the area known as Tusayan. The museum is closed in winter. I wander in silence by myself in the…
Navajo Bridge
The open road winds through the Navajo Nation like a slow moving snake. Your thoughts can easily be swallowed up in the vastness. You see a small gathering of manufactured homes with a row of new Ford and Chevy trucks, rusty playground equipment teeters in the winter’s breeze. Abandoned roadside stands hold artwork of the…
Horseshoe Bend
I had about an hour before sunset when I pulled into the parking area where the trail to Horseshoe Bend begins. I climb the sandy trail as a cottontail pricks up it’s ears at me before scamping off into the sagebrush. The wind flute of the Navajo echoes below. I feel a great presence…
Wukoki & Wupatki
The Sinaqua Indians were here from around 1100 AD to 1250 AD, building a community out of aboriginal masonry in the high desert. Wukoki means “Big House” in the Hopi language. Wupatki means “Tall House”, and shows more of the lifestyle of the ancient peoples, from arenas used for entertainment, to food storage areas…