I have just two things to say about our visit to Canyon de Chelly National Monument – “Awesome!” and “If you have never been to this natural wonderland, put it at the very top of your travel plans NOW! You won’t regret it!”

I have been to the Grand Canyon and the Salt River Canyon, I’ve seen Canyon Diablo, and a lot of other natural wonders of the Southwest, and in my opinion, none of them are as impressive as Canyon de Chelly! I only wish I had discovered this magical place years ago.

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d’Shay) is located at Chinle, Arizona, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, and has been inhabited by native peoples for nearly 5,000 years. At the canyon’s mouth, the colorful rock walls are only 30 feet high, but deeper in the canyon, the cliffs tower over 1,000 feet above the valley floor.

We had been advised not to take our 40 foot motorhome to Canyon de Chelly, and I’m glad we didn’t. There are two campgrounds, one the free Cottonwood Campground, which is best suited for small (under 30 feet) RVs, though we did see a couple of larger rigs that had somehow managed to squeeze in. But between the small spaces, tight turns, and trees close to the roadways, there is no way I’d take our motorhome in there.

Spider Rock Campground, about nine miles from the National Park Service Visitor Center, is privately owned, and it looked pretty run down to us. About the only amenities you’ll find there are lizards, porta-potties, and dry camping

We left the motorhome in Show Low and drove our van to Canyon de Chelly, and after a stop at the Visitor Center, we took the seventeen mile long South Rim Drive, which offered seven overlooks, each one more magnificent than the one before. Each overlook gave us a different perspective on the canyon. Our first stop was the Tunnel Canyon Overlook, which gave us nice views of the canyon, which is very green year around due to the river that flows through the bottom of the canyon.

At our next stop, Tesgi Overlook, we saw this farm, which is owned by a Navajo family who lives in this dramatic wonderland. Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up to these kinds of views every day?

Further along the South Rim Drive, at the White House Overlook, we took this photo of these ancient Indian ruins that date back to 1060 A.D. Archaeologists say that at one time the ruins had over 80 rooms, though only about 60 remain today.

It is very had to choose just one, but if I had to pick, my favorite view in Canyon de Chelly is of magnificent Spider Rock, which towers over 800 feet from the canyon floor. This rock formation is sacred to the Navajo people, who say that Spider Woman lives on top of the rock, and it was this deity who taught the first Navajo women to weave, creating a tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations.

Navajo mothers tell their children that if they misbehave, Spider Woman will carry them away and take them to the top of the rock spire to live until they learn their lesson.

I wish I had room to show you all of the wonderful photos we took at Canyon de Chelly, but there are just too many. And it doesn’t matter, because the photos just don’t do this natural wonder justice. You have to see it for yourself to believe it!

In tomorrow’s blog I’ll tell you about our visit to historic Hubbell Trading Post, another Navajo Reservation landmark.

Thought For The Day -A good traveler has no fixed plan, and is not intent on arriving.

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Sunday we drove 35 miles east to New Bern, North Carolina and stopped at the KOA campground to drop off a bundle of sample copies of the Gypsy Journal, and to visit with our friends Barry and Jan Kessler, who are staying there a few days.

We first met Barry and Jan soon after we started fulltiming, and have crossed their path many times in our travels, but it has been a couple of years since we saw them last. We had a good time visiting, and getting acquainted with their two fun puppies, Jack and Molly.

We wanted to check out the Elks Lodge in Morehead City, our next stopping place, so Barry and Jan followed us another 35 miles to the lodge. It would have been fun to ride together, but our van and their truck both seat only two. The lodge was closed, but we saw that there was a lot of room to park our 40 foot motorhome with no problem. As we were leaving, one of the lodge members arrived on his motorcycle. We introduced ourselves, told him we were Elks from Arizona, and wanted to be sure there was room for us to park at the lodge. He assured us that we were welcome, showed us the best place to park our motorhome, and said they would run an electrical cord out from the building if we needed it.

We have stayed at a lot of Elks and Moose lodges in our travels. Some have full hookup RV parks, and others just offer a safe place to dry camp for the night. Our membership dues in both organizations helps them accomplish their many charity projects, and opens the door to lots of overnight parking opportunities for us.

From the lodge it was only a few miles to Atlantic Beach, where we walked along the water’s edge for a while, then strolled out onto the Oceana Fishing Pier, a privately owned pier adjacent to the Oceana Resort.

One of the things on my personal bucket list is to catch a saltwater fish off a pier, and this might be a good place to do it. There were quite a few folks reeling in several different species of fish, and one lady had caught this skate, an ugly looking critter if there ever was one.

There wasn’t much surf, but there were a couple of people out in the water trying to catch a wave, without much success. In fact, the water was so calm that I told Terry that if it were a little warmer, I’d consider dragging my kayak down to the beach to get some paddling done.

It was getting late and we had not eaten all day, so the four of us stopped for sandwiches at Panera Bread, and then went our separate ways, promising to meet up again soon, since we’re headed in the same direction.

Today we’ll drive the Winnebago back to Morehead City and spend a few days exploring the area, which locals call the Crystal Coast.

Thought For The Day – The beauty of life is that there is no predetermined formula. What ingredients are you adding to yours?

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