April 11, 2022: Crossing over into Lukachukai, we drive into Chinle along the northern rim of Canyon de Chelly, a network of canyons that form an ancient home for the Diné. After walking the canyon rim at several overlooks, we eat lunch in Chinle before driving the southern rim of the canyon. After checking in for an afternoon nap at the Thunderbird Lodge, we return to the canyon’s edge at Spider Rock Overlook for a magnificent sunset.
April 12, 2022: A cold morning with blowing winds, billowing dust, and dramatic storm clouds so typical of canyon country. We photograph a terrific sunrise on the south rim before leaving Chinle behind. Passing through curtains of rain showers, we cross the desert to the north, ascending the mesas surrounding Tsegi Canyon and hiking to an overlook of Betatakin at Navajo National Monument. After a picnic lunch, we retrace our steps to Kayenta and enter Monument Valley (Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii: “Valley between the Rocks”). We spend the afternoon driving the valley road that winds between the tribal park’s iconic redstone buttes and mesas and hiking a loop trail around the West Mitten. The hike is desolate, beautiful, and all the more enjoyable after several hours cooped up in the car and bouncing along dusty roads. After a bone-chillingly windy sunset, we eat dinner and fall asleep at Goulding’s Lodge.
