Road Trip to Canyon De Chelly, AZ.

10/7/09

We are leaving Shiprock, NM today and heading back to AZ. You probably are wondering why we did not hit the places we we hit recently in CO. and NM. before we headed to AZ. First, in order to get to Durango and Cortez area in CO., when we were in CO. earlier a month or so ago, we would had to have gone through very steep mountains. We were advised not to even try it in our RV. Second, we wanted to get to the Grand Canyon before it was too cold.

Oops, we headed out of town the wrong way. Heading back to Shiprock to go the right way. This is an above average home in the Navajo Nation. It is very poor here and most homes look like junk yards. It is sad to see the Navajo are so poor. Shiprock Monument as we leave Shiprock, NM. Very dry soil with nothing able to grow on it. But soon the landscape changes. Heading toward the 4 corners on Hwy. 64. Looks like yellow and blue Painted Dessert ahead. In another direction red foot hills and mountains. Hwy. 64 connects with Hwy. 160 and another change in the scenery. We entered back into AZ. a few miles back. Before we hit the small town of Mexican Water we start to see monuments like in Monument Valley. ( Cows in foreground and still in Navajo Nation.) Farther down the road the ground turns very orange. A very pretty place. At Mexican Water we pulled in and had lunch in the Nest, than turned south on Hwy. 191. The ground is more rocky and hard now. More monuments but dryer again. and more monuments. Down and wide open spaces. Chuska Mts. to the east of us. This area looks like the Badlands, but in a variation of red stripes in the rock of the hills. We arrive to our next destination.