Arizona, Utah & Colorado Part 2

Tuesday October 14, 2014
After staying overnight in Bluff, Utah, we drove along the San Juan River valley and then took a side trip into the Hovenweep National Monument.

 Hovenweep is a Ute/Paiute word meaning "deserted valley". This community consisted of a number of pueblos of different shapes scattered around the head of a canyon. We followed a circular trail around the rim and through the canyon for about 2 km. The Ancestral Pueblans, as they are known, farmed the mesa top using water from the little seasonal creeks that they dammed. As at many of the other pueblo sites that we visited, it seems that the people moved away over 700 years ago.

 Most of northeastern Arizona and the "Four Corners" area is Navajo Indian Reservation, the largest native reservation in the United States. And quite a bit of it is open range. Occasionally we see horses in the middle of nowhere but rarely do we see any cattle.
After visiting Hovenweep, we continued east into Colorado along a river valley that got more lush and green as we went with nice looking farms and even a few wineries. In the afternoon, we arrived in Cortez Colorado and checked into the Retro Inn, a good, reasonably priced motel decorated in 60s style. We took a walk through town and then enjoyed the sunshine outside our room before dinner at a nearby restaurant.
On Wednesday morning, October 15th, we drove a few miles east to Mesa Verde National Park. At the park orientation centre, we learned that there would be a guided tour of the Cliff Palace ruins in about an hour so we signed up for just a few dollars each. Self-guided tours there are not allowed. The road up to it was paved but long, winding and steep so it took us about 45 minutes to drive there.

 Our tour took us down from the canyon rim and through the Cliff Palace ruins. Rubble has been collected and the pueblos have been restored somewhat but most of what we saw was well preserved due to its protected location.

 We walked along a trail right through the ruins. It was a fairly easy hike, but because of the elevation (7,000 feet above sea level), even climbing a few ladders and steps increases breathing and heart rates.

This is a huge site and one of the highlights of our trip. Again, this community was deserted about 700 years ago.

 Before we descended from the mesa top we had a picnic lunch at one of the overlooks. We had reached the farthest point from Phoenix on our trip. Now we started working our way west and south back into Arizona.

 We stopped for a brief photo op near the "Four Corners" where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. The Navajo control the actual Four Corners survey monument site where they wanted $20 to drive in. We decided being close was good enough. We have found that the national park sites are all beautifully maintained and reasonably priced. The native or privately owned sites are often very expensive so we've passed them by.
From the Four Corners, we drove west through Red Mesa to Mexican Water, where we turned south toward Chinle. This is all very desolate territory and the little villages are bleak. We had reserved a room at the Holiday Inn in Chinle and when we arrived, we were glad that we had chosen it. The Holiday Inn is a new partnership between the Navajo nation and the hotel chain. It's built and decorated in Navajo pueblo style while still being very modern and comfortable. It was like an oasis because the rest of Chinle is not very attractive. Unfortunately, many of the Navajo communities are very depressed looking, similar to many native communities in Canada. Sad.
On Thursday morning, October 16th, we drove the short distance to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "Shay"). We stopped at several overlooks and then hiked the 4 km trail down about 600 feet vertically to the so-called White House pueblo ruin at the base of a cliff, built by Ancestral Pueblan people who again moved south and west about 700 years ago. The Navajo have lived here for about 400 years. In 1863-1864, US troops under Col. Kit Carson began a brutal campaign against the Navajo, killing many and forcing the rest to walk 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. This is remembered as The Long Walk. Many died. The few that were left were allowed to return in 1868.

 A view of the ruins from the rim.

 It was a beautiful day so the hike wasn't too hot.

The local Navajo people still farm and raise horses and cattle on the canyon floor. Although Canyon de Chelly is not nearly as huge as the Grand Canyon, it is still very beautiful.

 After our hike, we drove south to the pioneer Hubbell Trading Post where we looked around and had a picnic lunch outside. Once again, it's very convenient to have some simple picnic food items on ice in Anita's insulated lunch bag, along with water, a sharp knife and forks and spoons. Anita always looks after this on our travels and it saves us a lot of time and money. Plus we get to dine in some scenic places.
After lunch, we continued driving south and west until we got to Holbrook. We were too tired to stop in Petrified Forest National Park and we just didn't think we were missing a whole lot anyway. We stayed in Holbrook overnight, bought a few supplies and ate at a Denny's nearby. There wasn't much to see in Holbrook.
On Friday morning, October 17th, we continued our drive west. We stopped at the meteor crater west of Winslow but the site is privately owned and the entrance fee was $18 each. We didn't want to look at a circular hole in the desert that badly.
We continued on to Walnut Canyon closer to Flagstaff.

 Walnut Canyon National Monument is a cliff pueblo community built by the Sinagua people in a limestone canyon.

 These dwellings were built from 1100 to 1250.

Around 1250, the Sinagua moved away and were probably assimilated into the Hopi culture.
After our hike around the Walnut Canyon pueblos, we continued the short drive into Flagstaff. We had reserved a room at the Sleep Inn for 2 nights because we wanted to spend a day hiking around the Sunset Crater area.