June 22, 2012
June 22, 2012
Having been kicked out of Flagstaff (at least for the weekend), we leave town headed northeast. We soon enter Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the US. It takes up the entire northeast corner of Arizona and is the size of West Virginia. We drive for a couple hours through pretty desolate territory. The first hour of terrain is National Park worthy, a cross between Painted Desert and Badlands. There is absolutely no vegetation, not even cacti. Still, the area is marked regularly with clusters of poorly maintained homes. Why anybody would live out here willingly is amazing. My guess is that the residents don’t get their government check if they leave the reservation.
After awhile the elevation rises back to 7000 feet and we enter pinon pine/juniper country. We make a left climbing up a hill of slick rock and enter Navajo National Monument. We have been here before but it makes a convenient stopping point. The campground is beautiful, uncrowded, and best of all, free. We make the short hike to the canyon overlook to view Betatakin, the Anasazi cliff dwelling that is the centerpiece of the park.
We return to the RV to relax, enjoy the scenery and do a little reading. The only annoyance is a gusting wind throwing dust around. I also get stung for the first time by a fire ant that was crawling on my toes. He got pinched underneath a sandal strap and bit to let me know he wasn’t happy. It hurt for a solid hour.
Having been kicked out of Flagstaff (at least for the weekend), we leave town headed northeast. We soon enter Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the US. It takes up the entire northeast corner of Arizona and is the size of West Virginia. We drive for a couple hours through pretty desolate territory. The first hour of terrain is National Park worthy, a cross between Painted Desert and Badlands. There is absolutely no vegetation, not even cacti. Still, the area is marked regularly with clusters of poorly maintained homes. Why anybody would live out here willingly is amazing. My guess is that the residents don’t get their government check if they leave the reservation.
We return to the RV to relax, enjoy the scenery and do a little reading. The only annoyance is a gusting wind throwing dust around. I also get stung for the first time by a fire ant that was crawling on my toes. He got pinched underneath a sandal strap and bit to let me know he wasn’t happy. It hurt for a solid hour.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 8:00 PM
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