January 17, 2010

Today we had planned to drive out to see Three Turkey Natural Bridge, about 17 miles off the South Rim road of Canyon de Chelly. But researching the way, we decided to wait for several reasons. First, it appeared some of the roads would be dirt, and the mud has gotten pretty bad here over the last week of warming trend, melting the snow. Also, we weren't sure we could see it without hiking, and the more I researched, the more I realized you can't do that on the reservation without a permit. While it's permissable to be on the roads, getting out and hiking or camping is considered trespassing if you don't have a permit, and climbing is forbidden altogether.

I dug a little further and found that there is a Three Turkey Ruins Navajo Tribal Park nearby, so tomorrow or Tuesday I'll check with the Navajo Parks and Recreation department to get more information on both attractions and maybe get a permit, if they will be accessible before we leave. Forecast is for the next five days to be rain and snow, so the mud may preclude our getting there this trip. We noticed on the trip we did take that the route is definitely dirt as soon as it leaves the South Rim road.

Still, I wanted some scenery, photos and a bit of a ramble, so we decided to drive out to the end of South Rim road to Spider Rock Overlook and catch the other overlooks on the way back. Comments about what we saw are on the photos, posted on Facebook. About halfway back we both decided it was time for a restroom break, and there aren't any out on the canyon road, so we decided to leave the rest for another day and come home.

We had seen a place to buy frybread on the way up, so the plan was to buy some frybread on the way back. The parking lot was practically a bog, couldn't get the car in, so we parked on high ground and picked our way across, acquiring several pounds of mud on our shoes on the way. When we got to the establishment, which was housed in a hogan, we felt we should remove our shoes, but the floor was fine sand and the proprietor insisted there was no need. Unfortunately, there was no frybread either, as they had run out. But there was some beautiful jewelry, small carved and painted pots that the proprietor and his wife made, and other artifacts. We will have to go back another day, get that frybread and maybe a souvenir. It is so hard to decide what or whether to buy. So many Navajo vend jewelry, food or paintings as a way of supplementing their income, and of course we can't buy everything.

At one of the overlooks, a Navajo woman was vending rock paintings, and she left them to follow us out to the overlook and point out some of the features we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Wish we had thought to pay her for being our 'guide', as we didn't buy any of her paintings. She showed us the 'face' on Face Rock, which we wouldn't have noticed, and also a ruin that wasn't in good enough condition to be named or pointed out by signage. At some of the overlooks, they have pieces of pipe aimed at the features they want you to notice, but most of them have no explanation for what you're seeing.

While researching Three Turkey this morning, I came across a book about the Navajo of Canyon de Chelly written by a former Park Service employee and ordered it. Can't wait to get it!

Back home, Budd decided to check on the Cowboys/Viking game (because he hates the Cowboys) and was regretting missing it since the Cowboys lost. Everyone around here had 'Go Cardinals' signs out for Arizona team's playoff game yesterday, but oddly enough when you see sports-logo clothing on the locals, they are Cowboys fans. That struck me funny when I first saw it. Here Budd is a Redskins fan and the Indians are Cowboys fans. There's irony for you.