From Sedona to Chelly

Yesterday (Wednesday) took us on a rather longish drive from the Sedona area back into Indian country, this time Navajo, to the Canyon de Chelly. We did not stop much along the way, but for some miles after we left I-40, I had been seeing mileage markers for “Hubble Trading Post.”

One of our favorite modes of travel is what I call “creatively getting lost.” Well, this did not rise to that level since it was well marked, but it was a sidetrip. So there we were. To our delight, it was a National Monument, well managed jointly by the National Park Service  and the Navajo nation and it still functions as a real trading post cum tourist goods store, but at an artisanal level.

From there it was a relatively brief drive to the Canyon, again managed jointly, this time by the NPS and NPRD (Navajo Parks and Recreation). Here you see a few teaser images. There are actually two canyons here Canyon de Chelly and Canyon de Muertos. We drove the rim drive of the south canyon, de Chelly. The plan for the morning is to tour the canyon floor by vehicle since we are not sure we are up to hiking in on a 2.5 mile loop trail with an elevation change of 600 feet in each direction.

Here, from a distance, you see some paleo ruins, you'll see a lot more tomorrow