Antelope Canyon, Navajo Nat'l Monument

Today was a perfect example of unexpected adventure. There was nothing in the original plan other than get to Farmington/Bloomfield, N.M. which would be our base for getting to Chaco Canyon tomorrow. As it happens, nearly across the street from our hotel in Page was one of a number of Navajo-run tour operators taking people on tours of Antelope Canyon and the famous upper and lower "slot canyons". Once we saw photos, we recognized it immediately as something we had to do! After an entertaining Navajo dance performance in the parking lot, we joined a bunch of other tourists in the back of an Indian pick-up and off we went down this dirt track to the canyon entrance. The tours are strictly managed by the Navajo - you can't just go there. Each group of about 10 people was lead by a Navajo guide. Our guide, "Bere", was hilarious! Anyway, for about an hour we hiked up this slot canyon, with beautiful colors and glimpses of blue sky above. It was a photographers nightmare. I got a few good shots, in fact, my phone did better than my camera!

By the way, the Best Western in Page was awesome! We got a "deal" of $70 through Booking.com and learned that the real "rack rate" was $209! Would recommend! Note: AZ does not honor daylight savings time - so its a bit confusing to know what time it is! (Although the Navajo nation does, go figure)

We left Page at about 11:00 and headed east through miles and miles of nothingness, and not particularly attractive either. Just west of Monument Valley we came across a place called "Navajo National Monument". It was only 10 miles off the main road so what the hey. Well, it turned out to be a very interesting site of ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings, very much like what you see Mesa Verde. We took a very nice 1.5 mile hike to view the ruins and had our picnic lunch in the woods.

Then, for the next three hours or so, we drove east along route 160, to Bloomfield, New Mexico. The entire day was spent in the Navajo Reservation, which is a bit depressing. One sees lots of poverty and land which isn't worth much. No more beautiful red rock formations, just mile after mile of brown rocks. We have noticed this on previous trips - northeastern AZ, and northwestern NM aren't very pretty.

We arrived in Bloomfield at about 6:30 at yet another very nice Best Western. dinner next door at the Roadside Diner. Great diner food! Watching baseball now.

Chaco Canyon all day tomorrow then back here....its said to be 1.5 hours south of here, in the middle of nowhere.

The road to the canyon

Guide wears mask for fine dust

Who knew?