After visiting Acoma, we drove on to Canyon de Chelly, actually three linked canyons in remote northeast Arizona on the reservation in north east Arizona. This is another spot where you can't go without an official guide (except through one hiking path), so we signed up for a "jeep" tour run by our hotel, the Thunderbird Lodge.
These jeeps are really more like big trucks, with the cargo area being uncovered rows of seats. The weather was great (if you had a hat, and water).
Here are Eero and Vernon in their seats in the back of the jeep.
On first riding in the entrance we saw these horses up on the cliffside.
There are some great rock formations down in the canyon.
We were worried that the kids' hats would blow off their heads. Alison crocheted straps for both hats, but Eero's had come off by this point, so we used a handkerchief to strap his hat on. You can see how bright the sun was.
Our guide, D.J., pointed out that this rock looks like a giant cat head.
At the bottom of this picture you can see a ancient Anasazi house. Some Navajo still live in the canyon and raise horses, among other things.
More of the Anasazi dwellings.
This was a long driving tour - about three hours - and there were two places where we got out to stretch our legs. Here Cielo and Eero are dancing in the dust.
It's not all barren desert in the canyon - we drove right past these huge field of flowers.
Our Navajo guide and driver, D.J., pointing out some more houses at the base of the canyon. From far away it's hard to understand the scale; the picture on the right is from much closer in.
