AZ Navajo Lands & UT Natural Bridges

The last week of August my path turns northward toward the final leg of the Utah trip, Arches National Park.  On the way I stopped at a couple of small gems.

Navajo National Monument features cliff dwellings, several easy hiking trails, and a great little campground - for FREE!

This is an example of a Navajo sweat hut

An example of an early Navajo hogan

Hidden in the shadows of the cliff, the largest of the cliff dwellings in the monument

 

Back in Utah, I head through Monument Valley and the Navajo Tribal lands.

  

Natural Bridges National Monument, established in 1908 as Utah's first National Park Service area features three natural bridges, all of which can be reached by hiking trails. .

Sipapu bridge means "the place of emergence," an entryway by which the Hopi believe their ancestors came into this world. Kachina bridge is named for rock art on the bridge that resembles symbols commonly used on kachina dolls.

AZ - Grand Canyon National Park

Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to add on a couple of days at the south rim of this amazing place and I'm so glad I did.  The campground was convenient to the visitor's center, there were plenty of shuttle buses to take you anywhere in the park, and a good bike trail so I could get around Grand Canyon Village easily.

I started at the Desert Watchtower, designed by Mary Elizabeth Colter, who designed many of the Park's buildings, based on Native American architecture and incorporating many of their legends and symbols.

And just outside from the rooftop, there in all its glory, the Grand Canyon

The next morning, I catch a shuttle bus at 6 a.m.  to ride out and see the sunrise illuminate the canyon near Hermit's Rest.

Grand Canyon Village has several Lodges, art studios, a visitor's center in the old general store, and even the original train station!

Even back then there were foolish tourists!

Willow twig horses more than 500 years old!

 I attended a wonderful ranger talk on the condor; with a wingspan of 9 feet, it's our largest bird.  Unfortunately this was as close as I got to seeing the real thing.