Navajo Country Expedition

[unwiredadventures]

Some time ago, there was mention of Anasazi cliff dwellings in an issue of Overland Journal. I've always wanted to go there since these ancient dwellings are relatively close to where I live. Last year I heard about plans for the OAUSA group to explore cliff dwellings and other archeological sites in the Arizona and Utah areas and signed up as soon as I could.

This trip took place at the end of April and the beginning of May 2010. 10 days total:
3 Days in the Canyon de Chelley area.
3 Days in Red Canyon.
3 Days in Monument Valley.
1 day in Navajo National Monument.

Monument Valley:


Ancient Anasazi cliff dwelling:


Pottery shards and corn husk:


Exploring these sites requites permits from the Navajo Nation and requires local guides.

Altogether, we visited 7 cliff dwellings. The vehicle trails would only take us so far then we had to walk the rest of the way. In the 3 days in the Red Canyon area, we hiked 7 miles the first day, 12 miles the 2nd day and 20 miles on the 3rd day! The effort brought us to some of the most remote and untouched cliff dwellings.

 

[unwiredadventures]

Everyday was filled beautiful views, ancient artifacts, pictographs, petroglyphs, music and stories from our guides.

Driving into into our first campsite on the rim of Canyon de Chelley:


We visited more than six different ancient Anasazi Cliff Dwellings. These date back to the 1300's and earlier:


Ben Playing beautiful music for us on a Navajo Flute around our campfire:



Artifacts in and around the Cliff Dwellings were everywhere. Pottery Shards, corn husks and grinding stones:

When the Anasazi lived here, if a pot broke they'd throw it on the ground or over the cliff.

Hiking to one of the cliff dwellings, we found pieces of pottery on the ground almost a mile away.

 

[unwiredadventures]

Throughout the cliff dwellings and other Anasazi ruins, were exquisite pictographs (painted on rock) and petroglyphs (scraped into rock).

I the five years that I have been doing this type of travel, the only other time I'd seen pictographs were in the painted cave in Santa Barbara and in a lava tube in the North of the Arizona Strip.

Video of pictographs in ancient Anasazi cliff dwelling:

Ansazi Cliff Dwelling Tour with Singing. Carlos, our Navajo Guide starts singing at about 1:20.


Dave, the trip organizer:

 

[MrGrimm]

I really need to get my *** moved back to southern California so I have access to areas like this! :wings:

 

[The BN Guy]

That's absolutely awesome! Heckuva trip. Would love to do something like that myself.

Were you camping there as well or driving in from a hotel? What about the temps?

 

[unwiredadventures]

That's absolutely awesome! Heckuva trip. Would love to do something like that myself.

Were you camping there as well or driving in from a hotel? What about the temps?

Yes, we camped on this trip. It got down to 12 degrees (F) one night. It snowed on us the last night of the trip.

 

[CSG]

Just got back from that region myself along with my 10 and 12 year old boys. I would loved to have had the opportunity to see ruins that required a guide to get to vs. just the ones you could see from the rims at Canyon de Chelly or the very busy Mesa Verde.

I just finished looking through your Flickr gallery of this trip and was very impressed. I'm guessing most of the sherds in photos were arranged in groupings by you or the guides for photo purposes?

May I ask what the trip through OAUSA cost?

 

[Desert Dan]

Thanks for sharing your great trip and pictures. That is wonderful country!

 

[Chazz Layne]

I see you beat me to it, I'm still having trouble getting my videos compiled... I am really not a video guy. :elkgrin:

My GPS logged it at 1,294.3 miles for the trek spread over 239 hours, 43 minutes and 4 seconds (Cracker Barrel in Kingman to the In-n-Out in Kingman). It seems like we encountered every sort of weather possible, but it was always just the right kind of weather for the moment (or the picture). About the only thing I could have asked for is that NPS remove the restrictions on campfires when there is snow on the ground.

Here's some of the hilights from my pictures. I had the privilege of running tail for much of the trip, a spot I'm now addicted to for the photo opportunities it creates...

 

[Chazz Layne]

...and hilights from the second half of the trip...



...and the little troublemakers we picked up outside Tes Nez Iah...





The rest (478) can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chazzlayne/sets/72157623782333331/

 

[stolenheron]

awesome pics

 

[AzTacoma]

Great adventure and nice pictures. There is a lot to see in Navajo Land. :victory: