Roads on the Rez ~ An Exercise in Patience With a (Mostly) Beautiful View

Going anywhere on the Reservation can be an adventure. Wide views stretch the eyes to take in intriguing horizons, unending skies meet long stretches of colorful land, and there is almost always a road to take you there. 

Descent Into Beautiful Valley

Nazlini Road

Traveling South on Carson Mesa

Can You Choose the Road Less Traveled By?

A Beautiful Winter Road at Three Turkeys ~ Looking Out Toward  Black Mesa

There is a Beyond the Horizon

A Muddy Route Can Be a Challenge ~ The Road to Sawmill Beyond Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly

The long roads, despite appearances, all lead to somewhere. A seemingly remote, endless road will usually take you to homes and people. Chinle Unified School District, for instance, has the longest bus route in the US. 

School Bus Route Below Fish Point, Black Mesa ~ Proof That it is Taking You Somewhere

Tagged But Legible

Yes, Pavement Eventually Wears Out ~ A Patched, Pitted, Mess of a Road in a Chinle Housing Project

The term, 'maintained' may sometimes be misleading. With so many miles of roads, and so much remoteness. it is not surprising, perhaps, that there is a constant need for improvements.

Patience Required for Travel on This Road!

Car Eating Potholes Punctuate This Road Near Tslani, Arizona

Fish Point is Around the Corner

With glorious landscapes and extravagant natural beauty, is it any wonder that the roads on the Rez draw us on and on?

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Chidis ~ How We Get Around the Rez

It can't be helped ~ vehicles on the Reservation put in a long, hardworking life. A brand new car or truck is in for the long haul here. Traveling long distances on ancient roads paved and unpaved, along with lots and lots of dust, dirt and mud, puts your cars and trucks through rigorous tests of endurance.
Below are a few photos of the different life stages of chidis, or vehicles, here on the Navajo Reservation near my home.

Thunderbird Taxi ~ Outlasted the Ranch and Died in the Saddle

Below could be an upscale ad but for the telltale flat tires.

Parked For the View and Stayed

No stranger to a hard days work, this dump truck has earned retirement.

A Real Workhorse Out to Pasture Near Round Rock, AZ

A hardy pick-'em-up truck still going, with a recent investment in some tires.

Still Going Strong

Shiny new and full of life, with a tired dog enjoying a nap in the sun nearby. (I thought the worst at first, too, but believe me, this dog got up and was very much alive.)

A Nap Near My Favorite Car  ~  Glamorous By Association

Various Stages of Decomposition ~ Going Back to the Land Near Spider Rock, AZ

When You're Done, You're Done ~ It Takes All Kinds to Get Us Around Here on the Rez

It's Very January Here on the Rez

The dry cold days of January are here. Winter storms lay down a cover of snow that quickly dehydrates into patches and spots of frozen white ice. Everything seems cold; the earth, the sky, even the brilliant sun can't seem to warm the dry, freezing world. It all conspires to intensify the feeling of cold, pulling the moisture and life out of the very ground.

The Great Dehydrator in Action

Brooding skies cast a grey and sepia wash over a world locked in cold.

Beware of Dogs

Shade House in the Shadow of Black Mesa

Till the Cows Come Home

Corral as Art

A brightly colored home reminds us that life is stirring and carrying on, and the time of cold will give way to animation and warmth again.

Blue House and Black Mesa

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Pets on the Rez

Like people everywhere, folks on the Navajo Reservation love their pets. Traditionally, Navajo people have raised sheep, goats, and cattle on their vast expanses of land in the southwestern United States. Dogs, of course, are a big help herding livestock; dogs still look over flocks of sheep and goats grazing among the sagebrush.

Goats Are People, Too

Llamas were introduced more recently to guard flocks. Their large size and often crabby temper make them suitable for thwarting larger predators, such as coyotes and mountain lions. Some are currently out of work, like this guy.

A llama has a little snack in Kinlichee housing

Today, dogs are as likely to be kept as companions, as shepherds.

My Pretty, Purple Picket Fence

Rocky

A Willing Pup

Piper at Ease

Sparky

Dozer of Tuba City Will Do Tricks For You

The predecessors of the lazy guys below probably earned their keep working livestock for their humans.

Hanging Out and...

Wishing For Impossible Things at the Chinese Takeout ( They Have No Credit Card ID, You See.)

Dogs and cats as cuddly pets and loyal friends to their humans are currently as popular here on the Reservation as everywhere else. 

Harry and Ryan and Elliot 

Lord of His Castle

No Bad Guys Allowed

Tough Love

Puppy Love

Is This My Best Pose?

Sporting My Tiger Coat

Cats can serve double duty as mousers and playmates.

It's My Turn to Be the Mom

Partners on a Cold Stoop

Cuddling is Good 

Megan and Elliot in Winter Dress

2 White Cats

Dream Kitty




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Homes on the Rez

A home is more than just a place to receive mail. Sometimes, the place called home is beyond an available numerical address. Where we live does not depend on numbers on a Post Office box or names on a street sign.

You CAN Find Us!

Our homes are our personal arrival at a place determined by many things; perhaps birth, circumstance, or choice. 

I love homes on the Rez. Especially I find hogans fascinating. These cleverly designed round homes of the Navajo are wonderfully suited to the climatic extremes of the High Colorado Plateau. Warm in the winter, with a center wood stove radiating its friendly heat, and cool in the summer, especially when a little breeze floats gently through the open door.

Uninhabited Hogan Near Greasewood, AZ

Though short on space, these homes are long on ingenuity, and well adapted to be a cozy base for an active, outdoor life of herding sheep or cattle, or raising corn. They also  provide a dry protected shelter for  weaving a rug or raising a family.  New features have been added in modern times, though the traditional lifestyle is by no means extinct. A flat screen TV with remote control may be featured, and a bathroom  perhaps added to the side is a welcome convenience. I always enjoy seeing hogans, inhabited or not. May they always be part of the landscape of the Rez.

A Blue Door is Inviting

Male Hogan Used for Ceremonial Purposes

Near Many Farms, AZ

Sheltered Under a Shady Tree and in the Shadow of Black Mesa

A Busy, Growing Family With Grandma Babysitting

Electricity Available!

A New Roof Needed Here

( You May Click to Enlarge the Above Photos)