South-West Road Trip to Erosion Country I

Ever since my road trip to the Grand Canyon from Houston last year, I have been aching to go on another one. Got the perfect excuse to do just that this Christmas ('06) with me having 4 days off and nothing to do. I asked for an additional day off and left early Friday morning from Austin.

The plan: first head to Arches National Park, Utah, and on the drive back take in Santa Fe and a few other national monuments. We made up for most of the miles on friday and drove 13 hrs straight to Gallup with brief stops for gas and food at Abilene, Lubbock and Amarillo.

The drive itself was uneventful, except for a speeding ticket violation at 96 mph near Lubbock..that sobered me up quite a bit!

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX: At the I-40 past Amarillo, stopped for this picture of the Cadillac Ranch. What started out as art by eccentric billionare Stanley Marsh III, is now very close to junk.

Pic 1: Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX after sunset

Nevertheless, being out of the ordinary, it always makes for a very intriguing picture.If you are planning to be there, drive at a moderate speed past Amarillo (if you are heading West), or you might just miss it - there are no signs to anounce this. Also, you could spray paint your own graffiti if you like.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle, Navajo Nation, AZ: Day2 we headed to Chinle in Northeastern Arizona to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d'shay, a Spanish corruption of the Navajo word 'Tsegi', which roughly translates to 'Rock Canyon').

Easily the best part of my trip - absolutely no crowds, and vista points across the South Rim drive offer exceptionally dramatic views into the canyon. My favorites were the Tsegi, White House and Spider Rock overlooks.

White House Ruin Trail, Canyon de Chelly: Being part of Navajo tribal trust, there is no ticket to enter, however, access to the canyon floor is only permitted when accompanied by an authorized Navajo guide. Only exception to this - the White House Ruin trail.

Pic 2: White House Ruins (Anasazi ruins), Canyon de Chelley, Chinle, AZ

The trail leads up to the ruins at the Canyon floor, right by the bottom of a 600 feet sheer rock. The ruins are the dwellings of the Anasazis (believed to be the ancestors of modern Hopi and Pueblo Indians) built between 1100 and 1300 A.D., using adobe bricks carved from soft red sandstone.

Pic 3: Bridge by the White House ruins, Canyon de Chelley

The trail itself isn't too hard. It's about 2 miles, however, the winter snow made it a tad difficult at places. The trail snakes around till it takes you to the bottom - about 700 feet from the canyon roof.

Pic 4: White House ruins from the canyon floor, Canyon de Chelley

I decided to try the trail, and I was glad I did. My climb down took me to a very serene canyon floor. A walk by a half-frozen stream and a bridge past this stream lead me to the ruins.

Pic 5: View from the canyon floor, Canyon de Chelley

Fortunately for my full bladder, there was a primitive restroom by the ruins. A few navajo jewellery and pottery sellers were there, but I found it to be a bit pricey.I was surprised I made the climb back in about 39 mins. Considering my fitness level, that is a record!

Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly: The most spectacular view in the canyon. Kept clicking away at this 800 ft sandstone monolith. Any way you took the picture, it turns out great.

Pic 6: Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelley

Revered by the Navajo, legend has it that the Spider Woman lives on top and keeps the bones of her victims there.If you got here by sunset or sunrise, it would be pretty cool, it would look like in McKenna's gold, as though the shadow was moving and pointing to gold..


Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Kayenta, AZ: About half an hour from Kayenta is the Monument valley at the border between Arizona and Utah.

Pic 7: Approach to Monument Valley, Navajo nation

Made famous by Hollywood movies (Stagecoach, Forrest Gump, Indiana Jones and the last crusade etc) and the Marlboro Man ad, the celebrated buttes are accentuated by the flat surroundings and the dusty red sand. This is probably why, when I got here, the whole place looked vaguely familiar.

Pic 8: Three Sisters, Monument Valley

Pic 9: Monument Valley with the celebrated West Mitten Butte

We got there just in time for sunset. If you are planning to get here, do not take your car into the Monument Valley, even if it is a 4-wheel drive. Park and take the guided tour. The road is awful, very rough and relentlessly jarring, topped with a thin coat of red sand all over on the car.