Great American History West of the Mississippi

Monday came early as I was leaving for Canyon de Chelly….I was looking forward to a stop there and to once again visit this interesting piece of history that travels back in time some 5000 years and travels forward with important events as recent as the 1800 to the early 1900..
The where five different “peoples” that pasted through this area starting with the the Archaic from 2500-200 BC  that lived here as season settlers….until the last group that where the Navajo that entered the Canyon about 400 years ago….in between where the the Basketmaker , Pueblo and Hopi that all left a mark in Canyon de Chelly…and there is the recent history of Kit Carson brutal campaign against the Navajo.

Canyon de Chelly(c)2016Horst Kelly  Photographer

I left the banks of the San Juan River at  Bluff on 10 Oct heading towards Chinle NM…It was a pleasant enough drive, no real traffic and some great vistas, especially the last third of the trip …. had no pull overs that would accommodate a camper..so no photos. Arrived around 1pm and decided to stay at the Cottonwood CG which is next to the visitors center…My book on free campgrounds showed it was still a freebee, but that was not the case, a non-hookup site is now 14 dollars..go figure. sorta like Gooseneck which was free a couple years ago and is now 10 bucks, or the View CG at Monument Valley which was 20 dollars last year and I was told its 40  this year. I digress….I paid the 28 for two days, got a great site with some western sun for my solar and I was set…the CG only had a half dozen or so campers spread out…made for some nice solitude…

Canyon de Chelly(c)2016Horstkelly photographer 

I took the south rim drive late afternoon and as usual was totally in awe by the views. I again got lost in time and put myself in each of the different era’s that occupied this space…its probably childish….I suppose I just enjoy getting  immersed  with the history….cloud cover didn’t make for great photo’s but that was ok….I was enjoying walking back in history. It was a great way to spend an afternoon…since I have been on the “in canyon” tour, I opted out of that.

Canyon de Chelly(c)2016HorstKelly Photographer

The next morning I went on the North Rim for some viewing of the  cliff dwelling,  …another terrific ride and then off to see some of the surrounding area …The afternoon was spent doing some shopping, cleaning the camper and grilling a salmon fillet….then I sat outside and watched the sun set and the moon rise…

Now its off to see the Bisti Badlands and points south

...until next time Happy Trails…Horst sends