The land here is stunning but you do notice a-have versus have-not split and I'm not referring to the tourists versus the locals. Some folks seem to be doing real well but most are not doing well at all. There were a couple of occasions where I pulled over where some of the locals setup these areas to sell their crafts and even though I didn't see anything I really wanted I still bought something. I honestly would have given them the 5 or 10 dollars but I didn't want to them to feel like it was a hand out. I thanked each one of them and moved on. I do regret not stopping at one of the shacks as I was almost at monument valley. From the corner of my eye I could tell there was an older women sitting there by herself trying to sell her goods but for reasons I can't explain now, I just kept going. I wish I would have turned around and went back and purchased something from her.
At the local gas station, I found it a little amusing that this old dog would lie in the shade and not move for any of the cars filling up.
He was so stubborn that I had to take a photo of him. Every tourist would slowly pull around him. Most of the locals also respected his space and went around except one local women in her 40s driving an escalade. I'm pretty sure she saw him because she didn't even express any signs of being surprised when the dog made a shriek as it barely leapt out of the way as she pulled up to the gas pump.
I shook my head as she walked by me but she was completely oblivious.
He didn't look to be in good condition and based on his coat and the way he moved he probably didn't have much time left. He looked pretty weak and frail. I chucked a few pieces of food towards his way but he wouldn't eat any of it. He didn't seem to want my help so I decided to take off.
and drive straight into a storm.
I eventually made into the town next to Canyon De Chelly and stayed in a motel that night.
I woke early and met up with my guide Ben at the visitor center. They had me fill out some form and Ben asked to see my truck. As we walked out he went on to explain that the canyon has very deep sand and a water crossing that is fairly deep and that I would need to air down and have plenty of clearance. I said I understood and that my truck should be able to make it.
Ben looked at the truck and asked "What is it?" "G500, I mean Gelandewagen...I mean G-wagen...it's like a Jeep". That he seemed to understand. He poked the sidewall of my BFG ATs and said that might be enough..."If we get stuck at the gate, we'll come back and take my truck" said Ben. I just nodded.
As we pulled up to the gate there was a Park Ranger in a little hut collecting the forms we filled out at the visitor center. Apparently the forms are to keep track who goes in and when. They use this to determine whether they need to go looking for you.
Past the gate was some deep sand with lots of tracks from other vehicles, Ben gave me the signal to take off and to nail it. At first, I was a little concerned because it looked fairly deep but after about 5 minutes it wasn't as bad and it was clear that the truck wasn't digging in. I was able to drive fairly slowly and still more forward.
At first I stayed in the tracks but later became more adventurous and began to try and push it a little by going through the deeper sections but it didn't make a difference. The truck just cut right through it.
We started to make stops and Ben began to point out the different petroglyphs made by the Anasazi versus the hoppi versus the Navajo. I learned that the Apache and Navajo were once the same tribe but eventually split. He pointed out that some buildings were built by the Anasazi while others were built by the Navajo.
He said that the Anasazi were tiny compared to modern humans based upon the size of the doors and houses they built.
A a sign made by the Navajo that snakes were being kept here.
Cat rock
Ben told me that there were 2 species of trees in the canyon and only one was native while the other was introduced by settlers at one time. Now the park service is working on chopping down the non-native trees to better see the ruins and canyon.
It was probably about 30 minutes into the tour and I kept catching Ben looking back at the truck.
"What kind of truck is this?", "It's like a Mercedes Jeep but they call it a G-Wagen" - ok so I sorta oversimplified. "It has air conditioning?" "Yes." "A sunroof?" "yes". "Can you open it?" "sure?".
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