Airstreaming the West: Trip #13: Northeast Arizona Tour

March 1, 2009

NORTHEAST ARIZONA TOUR

This has to rank up there as one of the faves; sooooo many sites and things to photograph, as you are about to see (get the coffee). With snow still all over Durango, we got the dog out of storage and headed southwest to Arizona for numerous stops on what I call the “Navajo Loop” just cuz we seemed to have made a circle around the Navajo reservation.

First stop, after Bill stood on all Four Corners not far from Cortez, was gorgeous Canyon de Chelly. The Cottonwood campground was empty, but it is a source of water for the locals so there was usually someone filling up at the watering hole. The bonus was getting free wifi from the old Thunderbird Hotel next door. Hiked the White House Trail in the canyon, beautiful hike, complete with sheep down below along the river. The next day we made a stop at the historic Hubbell Trading Post and toured the grounds as well as the main house, bought some wool, and met Chester the cat at the visitor center. Next stop was Winslow but first a visit to the Painted Desert visitor center. Turns out the male volunteer there is a wanna-be spinner! We talked wool for a bit and exchanged emails. On to cold and windy Homolovi State Park for two nights, toured the Hopi ruins along the river, and up on a hill; not much left. Drove into slow, old Winslow on parts of old Route 66 and truly enjoyed touring the La Posada, [laposada.org] built in 1929 for the Santa Fe Railway and designed by Mary Colter to look like the rambling, old hacienda of a Spanish pioneer family. She was an amazing architect, her attention to every little detail reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright -- same era, and she made her mark all over the west, including the Grand Canyon. The whole place was built along the railroad to receive travelers and to feed them good food quickly and move them out. What a cool place – I won a photo contest later in the year from a photo taken there (pic at the end). (Why? I don't know...) We spent a lot of time wandering around that sprawling "estate," just newly refurbished and recently reopened. Next day was

a very windy drive toward Flagstaff. I had broken my little camera in Canyon de Chelly so was able to buy a new one quickly at Best Buy. Canon SX 110, double A batts. What a warrior. I've dragged that thing on every one of these trips & hikes since then and so far so good. Planned on camping near Sedona, but no campgrounds open yet so kept going to Cottonwood to Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Nice park, then headed up the mountain for a walk around the shops of old Jerome, the mountainside town, and of course, a Mexican dinner back in town below. The next day we went 20 miles north of Sedona to hike Devil’s Bridge trail – a perfect day and a perfect hike. The next day: Grand Canyon, south rim. First we had to drive over the San Francisco mountains where it got as low as 30 degrees, during the day – and I hoped no snow. There wasn’t. Cool on our arrival at the canyon and spent the afternoon on the bus touring up and down the rim to all the scenic overlooks, including Hermit’s Rest (thanks again Mary Colter). Had dinner at the Harvey House at Bright Angel Lodge, excellent! Set up camp at Grand Canyon’s Trailer Village, and the next morning we awoke to a full-blown mini-blizzard. Luckily it stopped by 11am and out came the sun, so we hit the Bright Angel Trail. Well, it was so icy we didn’t get too far, too slippery. Forgot the yaks. But the scenery with the fresh snow and retreating storm sky was gorgeous. Back to shopping, Hopi House (you again, Miss Colter), and eating at Harvey House. Love it! Next day we left the canyon for home, hitting every scenic lookout on the east way out, including Colter’s Desert View Watch Tower on the east end. Thanks MARE! THAT is a cool structure. She can decorate my place ANYtime.

Sure, stray dogs are a problem on the reservation, but apparently it's also open range for ponies.

Cottonwood campground at Canyon de Chelly. A lonely, cold, place... with wifi!

Hello, how can anything be so gorgeous??? This won a ribbon at the county fair. And all I did was point and shoot.

Hiking down into the canyon there are ruins. Lots of history to this canyon for you googlers out there... You can drive into the canyon, but you have to take a guide with you in your car. Oh, and there's quicksand. We walked.

Another point and shoot. I later immortalized this shot in stained glass (new hobby!) last year and it is hanging in my kitchen.

My little woolly friends down in the canyon.

They call this Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly. Still some snow down there.

So I dragged the big camera AND tripod down there (what was I thinking). And it was here that the door broke on the old Canon. After so many years of faithful service, it was soon to be replaced in Flagstaff.

John Lorenzo Hubbell purchased a trading post here in 1878, ten years after Navajos returned to their homeland from their terrible exile at Bosque Redondo, Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. During the four years held at Bosque Redondo, Navajos were introduced to many new things. After they returned home, traders like Hubbell supplied those new items for the Navajo. Hubbell family members operated this trading post until it was sold to the National Park Service in 1965. The trading post store is still active.

This fence reminds me of my Grandpa Carini.

Scenes around the grounds.

Look who's guarding the hen house.

Guess I have a thing for cracked stucco.

...and then we toured the house... COOL! Someone, I think one of the kids, nailed all these baskets to the ceiling, and I guess that is a no-no....

See all those head drawings on the wall? Here's the scoop: The Redheads are conte-crayon sketches of Native Americans and Ganado citizens the artist met while he was staying with the Hubbells, and among the Redheads is a sketch of J.L. Hubbell. Burbank was born in 1858. Burbank visited about 128 tribes in order to paint their people, and he did approximately 1200 works in oil, watercolor, and crayon. Among the great chiefs he painted are Geronimo, Chief Joseph, Rain-in-the-Face, and Sitting Bull. In many cases Burbank’s portraits may be the only pictures of the subjects that still exist. Burbank first appeared at Hubbell Trading Post in 1905. He returned “frequently” and remained once for 10 months. The historic site owns nearly 300 of his works. He died in poverty and obscurity in San Francisco in 1949.

Oh, to live at a trading post with all those rugs...

According to the guide, the Hubbell's often fed a lot of people at their busy trading post.

Damn this was neat on the kitchen wall. What do you know, there's one on my kitchen wall now, too.

CHESTER! The visitor center cat. I had to peel him off me when it was time to go.

Next stop, Winslow Arizona. No one standin' on the corner.

Well, it was a SALE, I had to go in. Left empty-handed.

Camp Homolovi. Ah, desolation. Quiet. Wide open spaces. Get away from it all...

This is now a visitor center, cool old building in Winslow. I think they stored wool in the basement in days of yore. Hubbell again, can't get away from him.

The tour begins.

Looks like it's been here a while; coulda fooled me.

Upstairs looking out.

A look inside.

Can you spot the Armored Hot Dog? This is Dead Horse Point in Cottonwood, AZ. A silver dot in a sea of white...


I'm not sayin' Jerome is old, but...

... it must be.

*slurp* ahhhhhh

Guess it's a state law here. No problem, I'm watchin'.

The story of the park's name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, Dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.