Gallup, NM/Canyon DeChelly

Several people we met told us that if we were near Canyon De Chelly (pronounced "De Shay"), that it was a must see. So we stopped overnight in Gallup, NM which is also on Route 66 - was fun to see the "66" signs, restaurants, and other businesses using the logo. Canyon De Chelly is a red rock canyon, very picturesque and unique for a couple of reasons. It is a national monument, administered jointly by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation. It is entirely on Navajo land, and they run farms and ranches in the canyon valley.

There are roads on both sides of the rim, but the only way to get into the valley is by hiring a guide for a tour.

These views are typical. The canyon walls range several hundred feet up from the valley floor.

This pueblo village is four hundred years old. It was abandoned after a massacre of the natives by Spanish conquistadors.

Albuquerque/Santa Fe

The first night we spent in Albuquerque was the final night of their annual "Balloon Festival". By the time we got to the festival grounds it was getting dark, but the ballonists put on quite a light show. Many additional attempts at photos didn't turn out, unfortunately.

The next day we took a walking tour of "Old Town" and ended up at this restaurant for dinner.

Many cities and towns in Arizona and New Mexico are participating in a tourist marketing program based on Route 66. This sign is on the main drag in Albuquerque, but we saw many other examples in Holbrook, Gallup, Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman.

These photos were taken in Petroglyph National Monument, a mountain full of this type of early human communication. No one seems to know exactly what these pictures mean - many have offered conflicting theories. The present day native Americans have been reluctant to share their myths and legends as much of it is considered sacred.

There is a Native American museum here, very informative, but photography is prohibited at most of the areas.
We spent one day in Santa Fe. These shots were taken on a bus tour of the area. There are many art galleries here, showing sculpture of all kinds as well as paintings.

We both agreed that one day could not do justice to the Santa Fe area. We'll put that on our list to return some day.

Petrified Forest/Painted Desert

From Williams we traveled east to Holbrook, AZ to see the Petrified Forest National Park. The weather improved, although temperature is telling us that it's fall, not summer. I don't know what I expected to see at the Petrified Forest, but we started at the visitor's center, and learned that the whole area had been a tropical forest millions of years ago. The museum there had several reconstructed skeletons of prehistoric animals found in the area. As an inland sea covered the forests, the trees settled to the bottom, and became infused with the minerals in the water. The result was "wood turned to stone"

This log was one of the largest we saw - that's Peg near the end of it.

There were acres of smaller pieces like the ones shown here. We were told that this is the largest concentration of petrified trees in the world.

Traveleing north about 15 miles, another visitor's center announces the Painted Desert. This is an area where many of the old western movies were shot. These mountains are typical of the scenery along the way

The canyon is viewed from the top rim, and the colors are much richer than these pictures can show. The views are spectacular.

Williams, AZ - first try at Grand Canyon

From Vegas, we travelled to Williams, AZ. A couple we met in Utah told us that the way to see Grand Canyon was to take the train out of Williams and board a bus to tour the canyon.

The morning dawned bright and clear, and the railway personnel put on a "shootout" show before we boarded. It was a lot of fun.

We boarded the train, travelled to the Canyon and ate a good lunch. After lunch, we faced a light rain, but got on the bus and started the tour.

The bus made two stops, but the rain increased to a downpour, with thunder and lightning. As you can see from Peg's attire, a cold wind was also blowing.

The tour director called it a day, and we headed back to a lodge for coffee and warm up.

You can see the clouds in the few pix we were able to get.

The train ride back was a little damp, but the company entertainers were good.

We intended to drive back to the Canyon, but the bad weather persisted until it was time to leave. We'll be back in the area later.

Las Vegas area

We've been busy with friends and relatives lately, so haven't had a chance to update. I'll catch up over the next few weeks.

After Utah, we spent some time in Las Vegas, visiting our nephews and seeing the sights. Saw the Vegas production of "Phantom of the Opera" and a Vegas review,and did "the Strip" one day.

Also spent one day in the Charleston Mountains west of Vegas, and a day at Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

This cruise boat took us around the lake, and the scenery was spectacular.

We met these friends from one stop back in Utah, who joined us here and cruised with us.

More in a day or two.