September 14, 2008

September 14, 2008

Yesterday we signed up for a guided tour to see the Betatakin ruins at Navajo National Monument. We meet our guide, a young Navajo woman, at the Visitor Center, and then drove as a group to the trailhead. From there it is a two-hour hike down the canyon to the overhang ruins. It is only a couple miles but we stop often waiting for this out-of-shape woman to catch up with the group. Our Navajo guide also tells us lots of stories of Navajo traditions and plant medicines along the way. More than I really have an interest in. Fortunately the canyon is gorgeous and I spend the time looking at the scenery and snapping photos.

Once at the ruins we have a chance to walk amongst the stone houses nestled under this immense overhang. If I were an ancient Indian, this would have been where I lived too. The view is awesome. We are on our own for the return trip. Even though the hike out is uphill, in the heat, and we stop for lunch, we make it out much quicker.

We finished the hike tired, and we like the local campsite, so we spend the night here again at Navajo National Monument. We have a long conversation with a Dutch couple camping around the corner. We have traveled more than most Americans, but this Dutch couple has been everywhere we have and then some! The majority of travelers we are running into now are Europeans. On the drive here from Monument Valley yesterday, rental RV’s passed us going the opposite direction almost every minute, with no exaggeration! And it is Europeans, almost exclusively, who drive those rentals. I am praying for a weak Euro so I can soon repay the favor.