Canyon De Chelly from the Rim

10/9/09


Today is a special day. Today is Joe's and my 17th anniversary. Yes I forgot and Joe didn't. What a wonderful husband. Our gift to each other is just being able to spend this wonderful gypsy life together. Neither of us needs a single thing. We both have everything we want and need, this life we are living.
We are still at Canyon De Chelly free campground. We are going to drive to the north and south rims of the canyon this morning.
Joe getting as close as he can to the edge. He said he is about done with mountains and canyons.
A look down into the canyon where we were just yesterday. See the car and ruins below.
It definitely has a different perspective than looking up.
At another lookout point with dwellings below. Definitely looks higher up here than down below!
Close up of picture of picture above.

And closer still.

The canyon looks much greener from up here.
More cliff dwellings.
You can hardly see the canyon from here. It looks just like a flat plain from here.

Even on rim you find horse's running free.
A farm house and harvested land below.
More cliff dwellings.
How am I suppose to get get down. Dad come help me.
What a view!
As I am looking through binoculars at the view, this Navajo guy jumps out from no where and asked if I would like to look at his art. He was actually sitting below the cement railing somewhere. After looking at his stuff I pick out one of his piece's for $15. When Joe heard you could buy one for $15 or two for $20, Joe piped up and said we would buy two and I could have the one I picked out for $15, and he would pay $5 for the other. That's my husband for you. If there is a bargain, he'll find it. After buying the two piece's that the guy is holding up, he asked if we could give him a lift back down the hill, and also if we had some water because he was very thirsty.

We told the guy that we had one more lookout to go to before we headed back down the hill. He said he would start to walk down the hill, and after our next stop, if we saw him as we head back, we could pick him up. Joe went to the car and got him his bottle of water and offers it to him.


As Joe and I drove to Spider Rock Lookout, I told Joe I could sit in the back seat and we could give the guy a ride down the hill. If he tried to hold us up or something, I could hit him in the head with a rock. I have a big rock collection from all our stops.
Spider Rock at Spider Rock Lookout.
Spider Rock is an 800 ft sandstone spire that rises from the canyon floor.
After viewing Spider Rock, Joe moved things around so I could sit in the back seat (back seat of car has become a storage space for us). He put a hammer on the back seat floor, and we headed down the hill. We saw the guy walking down the road and stopped and picked him up. I jumped into the back seat, as it was just enough room for a small person and it fit into our plan. As Joe drove down the hill I ask the guy what is name was and more questions about is life. His name was Mark, and he was 30 years old. He had dropped out of high school but said he was going to get his GED. He lives in the canyon in a hogan, which has no electricity, water, or heat. Hogans have a hole in the center of the roof, so smoke from a fire can go out of the hogan. Just before we dropped Mark off, I ask if he had ever heard of Jesus. He said yes, and I told him that we have been Blessed with so much with Jesus as our Lord. I told him if anyone tries to talk to him about Jesus, he should take time to listen, because He would be a blessing to his life. I told Mark that every time I saw his art I would pray for him. He said thank you and turned and looked at us and asked what our names were. After he got out of the car, Joe said he thought he was on drugs or had been drinking. He said he had a funny smell. I had noticed his eyes looked funny. Joe said he thought that after he got money from us, all he wanted to do was to go someway to get some more alcohol or drugs. He also thought we didn't help him, because we probably just helped him to continue his addiction. Joe was probably right in that matter, but wrong in that he now has someone who will intercede in pray for him.