Hopi Lands

We leave the lands of the Hopi Nation this morning after having spent a long day going through the Hopi mesas and villages, followed by hours in the far back country with Micah Loma'omvaya. He is a brilliant, gentle and generous man, a tribal official, historian and a member of the dwindling traditional Hopi priesthood. It was a magical day, viewing beauties outsiders rarely see.

In the second picture Micah explains some of the many petroglyphs. (I have so many photos of petroglyphs from around Moab, Monument Valley and here that I could do a few posts on that alone.) The details are too complex to explain here but he helped us understand why the Hopi consider their land to be the center of the earth.

If you are ever in this area you must seek him out. His web site is http://www.hopitours.vistaprintdigital.com/.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and note the little sign that says "Hopi Tours, Est. 1540." That's when the Spanish showed up.

      

Canyon de Chelly

There are many more photos to edit from Monument Valley but I am trying to keep up with a bit from each day's sightseeing as we go along. We took a detour on our way from Monument Valley to the Hopi Reservation, visiting Canyon de Chelly National Monument. 

It's a remarkable place but few people were there. In a sense, the canyon is hidden, falling down from a flat plateau, invisible until you get to the edge. A number of Navajo families raise crops and animals on the valley floor during part of the year. The geology is as surprising as the Grand Ganyon, which we will visit shortly, but on a much smaller scale.

There are ruins of many rock face dwellings of native people who lived here about 800 - 1200 CE. Got lots of good pix but that will have to wait for the next editing session.

Why People Come Here

There is nowhere in the world like this and it is hard to experience it completely on your own. One highway runs through and there are a couple of streets that go to hotels, restaurants and shops. To really see it, you need to go into the dirt and sand roads of the back country, something you dare not do alone. It takes a local guide and a heavy four wheel drive vehicle.

We booked a full day trip with Phillips Photography Tours. I cannot say enough good about them and our driver-guide, Tully. Mrs. C and I saw things the bus tours could not imagine. A few Navajo live in isolated homes that had no electricity until the coming of solar panels. There are still some hogons, traditional dwellings in the shape of a dome, made of intricately interlaced juniper logs and covered with dried mud. That is where we met Cecelia, spinning local sheep's wool and making exquisite wall hangings and blankets.

I took about 1,500 shots so there is a lot of editing to do We have no early morning tour today so we will rest a little longer and eventually head towards Second Mesa, Arizona, and the Hopi Reservation.       

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Entering Monument Valley.

Driving into Monument late Thursday afternoon in less than ideal light. In and out clouds, a bit of a sprinkle but, most important of all, fire haze. There are wildfires throughout the region and, although not right around here, the ash stung our eyes.

As you can see, this is pretty empty country. Civilization awaited us at the end of today's road. Up early Friday. We've booked a full day private photography tour in the back country with a Navajo guide.

Canyonlands In Bad Light

While Tuesday was brilliantly sunny, most of yesterday was hazy and covered in wispy cloud. Not the kind of light you're looking for on a day trip to Canyonlands National Park. So, to paraphrase an old saying, when life gives you lemons, open Photoshop. Try B&W, bump up the saturation and contrast, leave it dark, sharpen like crazy.

And by the way, I was wrong when I said yesterday that there are only two national parks with arches. The second photo is Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. A commenter told me that Bryce Canyon, to the west in Utah, has some, too.         

Arches National Park

There are only two U.S. National Parks that contain arches. One is outside my office window. It has a single example. This one in Utah has about 1,500. Nowhere else in the world like it, and the geology is complex. But there are so many more spectacular vistas. This post is limited to the arches themselves (including Delicate, Double, South Window, Sand Dunes, Skyline, and possibly Whatchamacallit Arch) but there are fins, walls, pinnacles and impossibly balancing boulders everywhere. We work hard when we travel. When to edit?

Canyonlands National Park today. And top photo courtesy of my constant travel companion.      

Moab

This is not Missouri (or, Toto, Kansas). We traveled a good way yesterday and ended our journey in Moab, Utah. It sits between two spectacular national parks, Arches and Canyonlands. There is road construction in Arches, the traffic has been terrible and the forecast for Tuesday is 101 F / 38 C. We hope to be at the gate at 7 when it opens.

Dinner last night at the Moab Brewery. There are many odd things hanging from the ceiling, including beer-laden skydivers. There was time for a brief drive along a quiet part of the Colorado River afterward.