Once we turned towards Tuba City we came across a small
canyon. We were compelled to stop and take
a closer look. It was well worth the
stop.
The canyon proved to be the highlight of the trip until we reached the Canyon and that happened by accident. I am not sure who designated this part of the highway as a scenic drive but they obviously don’t get out very often. It was nice but compared to what we have seen and travelled through the last few days, it was no contest.
When we arrived in Tuba City we stopped at the local
information center to see if they could help us. We had left the directions to the canyon back
in the coach. They were happy to help
and with directions in hand we headed out.
Well, almost headed out, someone wanted to stop and MacDonald’s for
fries.
As it turned out, there was one problem with the directions,
they were wrong. We were told to look
for a windmill approximately 26 miles further along on Hwy 64. We never saw a windmill so we tried a few
dirt roads but to no avail. Discouraged and disappointed we started for
home.
At about the sixteen mile marker Kathy saw what she thought
was the type of terrain the canyon was known for. A short time up the highway we saw a dirt
road that looked fairly well used so we made the turn and started inland. A couple of miles in and low and behold we
had arrived at Coal Mine Canyon.
Coal Mine Canyon sits at the edge of the 120 mile wide
Painted Desert and is named for the low grade coal that was once mined
here. You can see the layers of coal in
some of the pictures of the upper edge of the canyon. This is also why it is not safe to hike as
there could be holes that are partially covered. We also had to be careful and not get too
close to the edge. There are many areas
where the sides are undermined leaving a thin overhang. We didn’t want to see how much weight it
would hold.
The day had started out looking like a bust, but discovery
and getting a chance to see the Canyon more than made up for it. It was beautiful and colors and unique shapes
made for exquisite viewing. I wish I
could have truthfully portrayed in my pictures.
It turned out to be a great day.
Today is our last stop in this area and that is the Canyon
De Chelly. The drive again takes us to
Kayenta where turn east on highway 160.
A short time we meet up with Highway 59 that will take us to the
Canyon. This is new road for us and we
found ourselves driving parallel to a ridge of grey colored rock.
It was shortly before we reached the end of Hwy 59 that we
started to see more of the red rock that covers most of Arizona.
We finally reached the Canyon. We were not sure what to
expect so we stopped at the visitors center to see if they had a map or any
pertinent information.
We learned that you could see the canyon two ways, one was
to take a number of different tours. The
tours were by jeep, horseback, or hiking and would take you to the bottom of
the canyon.
The second way was to
travel the scenic drives that offered quite a few overlooks and
viewpoints. There were two scenic
drives, one on the north side of the canyon and one on the south. Hiking was restricted because the Navajo
People live and work in the canyon.
We decided to take the self drive tour of the South Rim
which led us to the first viewpoint, Tunnel Viewpoint.
There are seven overlooks on the South Rim and we shortly
reached the second one, Tseyi Overlook. Tseyi is Navajo for Rock Canyon and you
can see that there is farming that is still being done on the valley floor.
Junction Overlook was the next stop. Again you can see
evidence of current farming on the canyon floor.
We stopped next at White House Overlook, so named for the
Pueblo found near the bottom of the valley carved into the cliff face. There is a trail down to it and this is the
only place you can hike unsupervised in the park. It was a 600 foot drop and
took three hours to complete the round trip, we decided it was too hot to go.
Next on the agenda was Sliding Rock Overlook which was 700
feet off the canyon floor. Somewhere
there are ruins that were built on a narrow shelf and appear to be sliding down
into the canyon. The house contained
between 30 -50 rooms and should be fairly evident. I couldn’t see it
On the last access road to the canyon rim is Face Rock
Overlook which is 1000 feet above the
canyon floor. Pretty impressive.
The last stop on the
South is Spider Rock Overlook. This
viewpoint overlooks the junction of Canyon De Chelly and Monument Canyon. The monolithic pinnacle is known as Spider
Rock and rises 800 feet from the canyon floor.
We finished the South
Rim and headed for the North Rim. There
are only 3 overlooks on that side, this first being Antelope House
Overlook. It received its name from the antelope painted
on the wall near the ruins. Also visible
from this overlook is Navajo Fortress, a red-sandstone butte that the Navajo
once used as a refuge from attackers. A steep trail and system of log ladders
led to the top of the butte, and by hauling the ladders up behind them, the
Navajo could escape from any pursuers.
The next stop Mummy Cave Overlook which was named for two
mummies found in burial urns below the ruins. Archaeological evidence indicates
that this giant amphitheater consisting of two caves was occupied for 1,000
years, from A.D. 300 to 1300. In the two caves and on the shelf between are 80
rooms, including three kivas.
The last stop for the day was at Massacre Overlook. The significance of this part of the canyon
is that during the war with the Spaniards and Navajo a massacre took place
here. In the first picture you can see where
the Navajo were hiding from the Spaniards in the ledges on the cliff face. The Spaniards were firing from where I took
the first picture. One hundred and
fifty-one Navajo women, children and elders were killed. The main group of men were off hunting and
missed being caught be the Spaniards
Our time in Canyon De Chelly was over so we headed home and
it was a pretty uneventful day. We were
pretty tired. However, how come there is
always a However. As we were passing
through the town of Many Farms we saw a Horse Crossing Sign. The first one we had ever seen and our first
assumption was that someone put it up as a joke. Imagine our surprise when the crossing was
used.
You can bet I kept my open the rest of the way home.
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