Bill took a vacation day after the fourth of July so we had a 4-day weekend. What to do?
We finally decided to visit Indian ruins in northern Arizona. ( I did not take it personally that he chose me as an appropriate
companion on a "ruins" trip.) Also, it is usually cooler in northern Arizona. The month of June in Tucson was a test
to see if we could survive--the temps and the fires. Thankfully, this week we have had the first measurable rain in
100 days and have officially entered the monsoon season. Temperatures have not improved much yet, but we are hopeful.
We left the morning of the Fourth headed for Sedona, a beautiful area about an hour north of
Phoenix. Whhn we got to the turnoff from I-17, there was an electrical sign there with the warning that the beautiful
scenic drive north from Sedona to Flagstaff was restricted due to extreme fire danger. We presumed this meant "closed,"
but went on anyway. We had a lovely lunch. Sedona is just made for tourists. The natural beauty of the red
rocks is complemented by great shops full of southwestern arts and crafts. We strolled through the shops a little until
I noticed Bill's jaw muscle working and realized he had had about all the "cute" he could stand. Thankfully, highway
89A was not closed to Sedona, so after a forester gave us a stern warning against giving off sparks, we were allowed to go
on to Flagstaff.
Just 7 miles east of Flastaff is Walnut Canyon, a National Monument. The park was actually
built by the CCC in the 1930's and is now maintained by the National Park Service. A mildly strenous walk (240 steps
up and down) takes you to ruins of cliff dwellings, built between 1125 and 1250. The Indians here were known as Sinagua,
Spanish for "without water," so named for their ability to turn a relatively dry region into a homeland. One of the attractions
of this area over other cliff dwellings is that you can actually enter the ruins.
We went to a very nice outdoors craft fair in a downtown Flagstaff park and got
sprinkled on by rain! A nice sensation. Drove through the ever-expanding campus
of Northern Arizona University. Impressive. And had a nice dinner. Fireworks
were very scarce in Arizona this year. When you have just been host to the nation's biggest wildfire, it looks a little
irresponsible for city governments to issue permits for possible fire-starters!
On Friday we went to Winslow. As you may remember, we have visited here before and had
a brick put for Cole on the site where the Eagles song about
"standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona" is honored. We revisited that corner, but
mainly this time we were interested in three local sites that were important in the heyday of Fred Harvery's marketing of
the Santa Fe. Winslow was an important stop for travelers to the "new" Southwest.
The old trading post here was owned by Lorenzo Hubbell who owned the famous one on the Navaho
reservation. His name is still visible on the front of the building. We had also discovered that the airport was
designed in part by Charles Lindbergh who was a frequent visitor here. We found that the small terminal is still housed
in the building of his design. The airport is the base for the Arizona Air Tanker Association. There were three
tankers on the ground. It was a thrill to see them after knowing what a crucial part they played in stopping the recent fires.
We figure every pilot we saw was now a very rich man, but I doubt there is anyone who would begrudge them a penny.
Our main stop was at the La Posada Hotel erected by Fred Harvey just before the crash of 1929.
It was designed by his female architect Mary Coulter. She was a woman way ahead of her time. Her influence
on the style and art of this area is incalculable. We are trying to see all her buildings that still exist. If
you have visited the Grand Canyon, she designed the Hopi gift shop and many other structures there. The hotel is open
and has been refurbished after 20 years of dereliction. The dining room does an excellent breakfast. More than
one night in Winslow might get a touch boring however. The rooms we saw open were furnished nicely but were small and
had small baths as that was the standard when they were constructed.
As we turned north toward Indian reservation land, we stopped at Homolovi Ruins state park.
This is a relatively new park but is already slated for closure. A state budget shortfall in Arizona iis prompting
the closure of many parks. This one is rather remote and never developed a large visitor base. It was
opened mainly at the urging of the Hopi Indians who consider the Homolovi part of their heritage. This site was occupied
in the 14th century. Visitors who find artifacts pile them on ruins of the stone dwelling walls. Water was available from
the Little Colorado river just below the site so there was a large population here. Craters now dot the grounds where
vandals and people in the past hoping to steal artifacts have desecrated this Hopi holy ground. The visitor center is
made of rusted metal and is beautiful and unique.
As we went through the Hopi and Navaho reservations, we referred to a book, NATIVE ROADS, that
was a gift to Bill from a dear friend. It explained what we were seeing, and even had noted all the places mentioned
in Tony Hillerman's mysteries.
As always we were struck by the poverty on these two reservations. They are two of the
few tribes who do not allow gambling so don't have even that revenue. We did see some new goverment housing and a beautiful
new Hopi high school. At a big new hospital, there was some very nice housing surrounded by a big fence. Sobering
realization that this was for medical personnel who are living here only as employees.
Canyon de Chelly is the only national park that does not charge a fee for entrance or for camping. We
checked in at the Thunderbird Lodge in the park and went sightseeing before we even unloaded luggage. There are two scenic
drives with overlooks that we wanted to see before our tour of the canyon floor the next morning. We were very glad
we did as the combination of the two views added to the enjoyment of what we were seeing. There is a nice cafeteria
near the Lodge and as we didn't see anything better in the town of Chinle, we ate Navaho tacos, fry bread covered with beans,
salad, and cheese. Very tasty. We had tried piiki bread as we came through Hopi country, but it was terrible.
It may have just been that batch so we will try it again when we have another chance.
As we saw the trucks for the tour, Bill looked at me and asked if I was going to chicken out.
I said no but I did reserve the right to whine. Tours are on flat bed trucks with bench seats. No canopy
or cover of any kind. What I didn't realize was that the canyon floor is sand and only 4-wheel vehicles can navigate
it. A Navaho guide must accompany each visiting group, even if you take your own vehicle.
The main thing that struck me about the canyon is that the cliff dwellings were sparsely scattered
throughout the canyon instead of being in groups. There are many pictographs and petroglyphs. We did find binoculars
beneficial. As were water bottles. Hats would've been smart, but we were saved by sunblock. There is some
shade in the form of cottonwood, alder, and olive trees. Our guide tried to park in the shade as much as possible.
The rock formations are very beautiful but do not have the variety that some other Arizona canyons do. As we completed
our four-hour tour, Bill said, "Now, wasn't that fun?" I replied, "In comparison with which surgery?" He declared that
I had take whining to a new level and that at some day in the future, I would be sitting in the home, telling all the other
inmates what a great time we had had. I am sure he is right. . .
Thanks for listening to our story again.
(Bill and Kay Wehunt reside in Tucson but you are likely
to run into them anywhere in the world. They are consummate travelers. We shared a two week tour with them of Eastern Europe.)
