Drove past the First, Second and Third Mesas (we saw old buildings high up on cliffs, but didn’t visit them as Betsey probably wouldn’t have made it up there).
We drove along the 264 East to 191 North and went to Chinle then continued on to Canyon de Chelley (pronounced d-shay). We drove along the south rim and stopped at all the ‘overlooks’ (lookouts). On the opposite cliffs we could see little rock dwellings right up in the caves. We walked down into the canyon at White House Overlook and saw up close some of the Pueblo ruins of houses – still pretty intact. They are 1000 years old. The canyon was stunning and pretty random, as you couldn’t see into it until you were on the edge. And then in the middle of the canyon was a river and heaps of beautiful, bright green trees. At each overlook there were lots of Navajo people selling jewellery, pots and painted stones and also in the canyon. This was the only spot that we could walk into the canyon for free, as it is private land. Only tours go right along the canyon bottom, as people still live there and farm, etc., but Lonely Planet said it costs about $45 a person to get a tour through the canyon – a bit steep for a couple of hours! We were still able to admire the canyon and its cave dwellings.
That night we camped in a free campground near Chinle – the Navajo Reservation might be a dry one (no booze – we had to hide the Bud Lights in Betsey!), but we love the free camping throughout it!
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