Saturday, 17th September - Chinle

Our room at the Thunderbird Lodge motel, Chinle.

Arizona blue sky.

Today we went to the Canyon de Chelly National Park starting at the visitor centre to collect maps etc. and then spent the morning exploring the North Rim of the Canyon del Meurto (Canyon of the Dead). A Round trip of 30 miles. Stunning scenery, again the pictures don't really do it justice.

The cliffs are sheer and over 1000ft tall.

Lots of little critters.



In the afternoon we drove the length of the south rim of the Canyon de Chelly stopping off at the various viewing points.

Easy to see why the Navajo and their predecessors lived in the lush, green, fertile canyon. Sadly the Spanish found them. 
To this day some still live there.
Tomorrow we venture into the canyon in four-wheel drive vehicles for a four hour tour before we continue on to Holbrook.

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