My Favorite Cowgirl

Shyla is my current favorite. She is taking to roping very well, with Daddy to teach her. She'll be throwing a lariat herself in no time.

Jump into the circle:

Good girl! Now you try:

Folks, I think she's got it, don't you?

(You may click to enlarge the above photos )

Early Winter Scenes

 Please enjoy a few miscellaneous photos with the flavor of our everyday life on the Rez.

The current winter is milder than the last, I think. The warmer temperatures melt the snow and allow it to soak into the ground. The mountains above brood in the early morning light near Dilkon, Arizona

Llamas make pretty good sheep guardians; they're cranky and big. This haughty, disdainful guy ran away from the sheep, though, when we came near his charges below Carson Mesa.

It seems that something is always burning down on the Rez. The firefighters managed to keep this trailer fire from spreading to the homes and businesses nearby as they watched it burn in Chinle, Arizona.

There's always an exciting happening involving livestock here on the Navajo Reservation, like this long-past event advertised north of Many Farms, Arizona.

We didn't attend, though we might have been tempted by a chance to win da big bucks.

 Some among the ubiquitous Rez dogs are pressed into duty as watchdogs; 

we consider ourselves duly warned though little intimidated by these lazy fellows.

I succumb with pleasure to the lure of roads like this one leading to the top of Carson Mesa.

White house Ruins ~ Canyon de Chelly

The White House Ruins in Canyon de Chelly are aptly named for the whitish portion of the ruins.

The well-preserved structures are viewed from close up by hiking down White House Trail, the only public trail in the canyon. 

The first day of November, 2011, offered a charming opportunity for a stroll down to see the ruins.

What a lovely day to enjoy. The weather is perfect.

The ruins are of a complex, multi-room, multi-purpose habitation, likely housing several families at one time about 1200 years ago.

Paintings on the cliff face look as if they were more recently applied than beyond the past millenium.

Rising cliffs against the deep blue autumn sky are a dramatic backdrop to brilliant cottonwood leaves.

Autumn's coloration is perennially energizing and refreshing.

Dizzying cliffs, towering into the sky, dwarf the ruins below.

Back at the top, we admire the silvery winding snail trail of water gleaming its way through the wash's bottom.

How tiny the ruins look from above.

(See this link for a run down the trail:)

Let's Run Down the Canyon

You may click to enlarge the above photos.

Three Turkeys Canyon -- A Glimpse of the Ruins

Three Turkeys Canyon, in Northeastern Arizona, is a lovely hiking destination. The well-preserved ruins stand in their canyon wall nook as they have for centuries.

The hike down to the canyon floor begins with dramatic overviews of the canyon.

A cement plaque declares that Mr. Spencer and his crew worked on the trail in 1964. The trail is steep and rough, with lots of scree, but it's a short hike to the bottom. Our party included two little ones, rough-and-tumble girls of 2 and 5 years old.

The ruins are visible through the trees during the descent.

The three turkeys painted by the ancient cliff dwellers are fresh and clear today.

The Anasazi left ample evidence of their practical and artistic tendencies.

The October skies in this remote corner of the planet deepen against terracotta stone precipices.

Canyons walls composed of shinarump conglomerate sparkle in the sunlight, incorporating pebbles and bits of quartz.

The creek at the bottom runs light and shallow. I wonder how many centuries have passed since a river sustained the lively little village tucked neatly into this sheer cliff face. 

 

And I wonder, too, who in ancient times carried his little one on his shoulders along its shady banks on a bright October day.

The children befriended a colorful froggie, the only wildlife sighting of the day.

We could not have had a lovelier day or more congenial company for our hike. 

You may click to enlarge the above photos

"Let's Run Down the Canyon"

A run down - and back up - White House Trail in Canyon de Chelly is a refreshing break from our usual gym workouts, especially when the weather lures us outdoors. A tunnel at the top of the trail welcomes us.

We are eager for the run

The White House Trail is a three mile round trip from the canyon rim down the switchbacks to the wash and a view of the ruins.

The canyon is always delightfully inviting

The trail is kept fairly smooth and is suitable for running. In some places the trail is hewn from the canyon wall.

Locals in training run down and up 2 or 3 times. Once is usually enough for us. 

Another tunnel near the bottom

On the way back up.

Going up is a little more trying than the coast down.

Back at the top


It's always a pleasure to take a workout day to run down White House Trail in Canyon de Chelly.

You may click to enlarge the above photos

For a glimpse of the ruins, click the link below:

White House Ruins ~ Canyon de Chelly

A Room With a View

On Carson Mesa

There is always a rest stop on the rez. No one need suffer just because the next gas station is 40 miles away. Frankly, I prefer a well-ventilated room with a view to a stuffy, often dirty rural gas station, anyway. 

A well-worn path suggests there may be paper available; I however, always pack my own.

Wisely placed with the door away from the highway

An artist will always find a means of expression

On Balaiki Mesa

Rockin' on the Rez

Intriguing rock formations are a a big contributor to the treat that is the natural landscape here in northeastern Arizona. Some are the remains of giant waves of molten rock that long ago pushed themselves up from under the ground in spectacular displays of violence and energy. Thousands and millions and gazillions of years later  a tortured sculpture is still standing. 

Frozen in Time ~ A Monument to a Violent Event

Sentinel of a Vast Land

Pushed Along From Underneath

Alert Through Time 

Interestingly, these formations exude a sense of peace;  lightning rods that seem to draw all the trouble and turmoil of modern life to themselves and pull it far into the earth, leaving the surface land large and wide and at rest.

The Soothing Colors of a Resting Land 

Some interesting rock formations are the results of surface elements on the sandstone land. Wind and water, storms and wildly fluctuating temperatures, work together to fashion fascinating formations for our entertainment.

A Rock Family Squats on the Land

Gazing Dreamily Upon the Distant  Chuskas ~ A Never to be Realized Journey For This Otherwise Alpha Rock Person

Very Much an Earthling, Despite Appearances 

The Slow Reclamation of a Red Sandstone Mountain at Bita Hochee

(You May Click to Enlarge the Above photos)