One of the joys of road tripping is that plans can change. We decided to change our route from Santa Fe to Canyon de Chelly. Our original rout had us taking I-25 and I-40 for much of the way. Instead , we routed ourselves through Farmington in NW New Mexico. By going this way we ended up on minor (but very good) road through the Navajo Reservation. The scenery was breath-taking.
Shiprock. We could see this for miles and miles as we crossed the desert
The road and scenery in the Navajo Reservation
As we approached Canyon de Chelly, we were on the North rim road. We went in on overlook (Antelope House) which turned out to be one of the most difficult trails to an overlook in the Monument. I ventured all the way to the Fortress Rock overlook by scrambling over sandstone rocks. Linda went part way and waited for me to see the pictures.
Views from the Fortress Rock Overlook
We went to the Visitor’s Center and got some useful information about the difficulty of reaching the various overlooks. We decided to check in to the Thunderbird Lodge and have dinner and go out to see some of the South Rim Overlooks in the evening and at Sunset.
Spider Rock
View from the Spider Rock Overlook
View from the White House Overlook right before Sunset
Sunset over Canyon de Chelly from the White House Overlook
The next morning we visited two more overlooks, the Tunnel Overlook and the Tsegi (Navajo name for the Canyon) Overlook, on the south rim before leaving for Phoenix.
View from the Tunnel Overlook
Views from the Tsegi Overlook. This monument is unique in that it is a joint effort between the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service. The Navajo are permitted to continue living and farming in the monument, including within the canyon, as they have done for centuries. This is part of the cultural significance of the Monument
View outside the Monument from the Tsegi Overlook
Left Canyon de Chelly and drove to Debbie and Darrell’s house in Phoenix. The ride was again almost all non-Interstate roads except for the small portion near Holbrook, AZ where AZ77 used the I-40 for a few miles and the 101 Freeway in Phoenix. The trip was 2247 miles, including some local touring miles, mostly off the Interstate system except for Day 1 and part of Day 2. This compares to a 1,757 mile direct trip, according to Google Maps, from Wisconsin to Arizona. We will again post on June 30 as make our way home on a southern route. Until then!