Four weeks and counting

Cumulative Miles: 5,849

Number of Speeding Tickets: Still just 1

States Visited: 17

Lesson Learned: Four weeks go by in the blink of an eye

We definitely enjoyed our time at the Grand Canyon, but there are only so many breathtaking vistas that one can absorb. Yesterday we took a shuttle bus west from the Grant Canyon Village toward Hermits Rest. We did this because we wanted to get a good view of the Colorado River and a fellow traveler told us that we could get that from a place called Powell's Point, only accessible by bus. When we boarded, Ernesta, our bus driver, gave us rules about riding her bus and instructions on where and how to catch a return bus -- in no uncertain terms. Glad she did, but in another life, I think she was a drill instructor. The views were incredible, so it was worth her sternness.

We had another good meal last night and turned in early. This morning we showered and dressed and made preparations to depart. We'd really enjoyed our time at the canyon, but didn't see what more we'd do if we stayed another day, so off we went.

We drove due east from the canyon, watching it become shallower and narrower as we did, kind of like the earth zipping itself back up. This route took us to Cameron, AZ, then south to Flagstaff. We were officially in Navajo Territory and I was glad to be there.

I started reading about the Navajo people and culture in the early 2000's. It actually began when I stumbled upon a series of mystery novels by an author named Tony Hillerman. He set a series of books on the Navajo reservation, with the protagonists being Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, two members of the Navajo Tribal Police. Although the books were mystery novels, they were incredibly atmospheric, in that the author took great pains to nest the stories within an accurate description of Navajo culture. I fell in love with the books and over the years enjoyed ten or twelve of them, mostly because of the characters and culture and less so about the plots. I understand that now Netflix is doing a series called "Dark Winds" based on those novels. I haven't seen the show yet, but I will watch when I get home.

As we drove through the Navajo Reservation, I couldn't help but share some tidbits with Robert about what I was seeing and how it jibed with what I had learned about the Navajo over the years. For example, their traditional homes are called hogans, they are of log construction and are octagonal, and the entrance always faces the direction of the sunrise.

We saw many hogans as we drove across the reservation. Some were obviously quite old, some were abandoned, some were added onto, and some were built or covered with nontraditional materials like vinyl siding. Not infrequently, a newer home or mobile home sat alongside the hogan. We even saw a new and quite modern hogan, still in the traditional shape, but larger and built with big wooden beams and shiny metal panels. That made me smile.

The Navajo are a relatively poor people. They are also very family oriented, so much so that a common Navajo insult is to say that someone, "Is acting like they have no relatives." That isn't because they are shaming orphans. Rather, it means that someone is acting selfishly or in ways that do not respect or honor their families. Isn't it a bit funny that you can glean things about a culture by examining how they insult each other? I'm sure anthropologists have studied this for years.

I know I may sound like a know-it-all, and I apologize if I do. I just love all I've learned about this culture and I enjoy sharing. Since we're just passing through the reservation and not staying there this trip, I'm afraid I won't revisit as much as I would like to, but that just gives me a nice reason to come back in the next few years. I did enjoy a Navajo Taco for dinner. Thanks for the recommendation, Katie Matarazzo!

Our ultimate destination today, therefore, was not the Navajo reservation, but a place called Acoma. While the Navajo live scattered far apart, mostly isolated on large tracts of reservation land, their Pueblo neighbors do the exact opposite. They live clustered together in attached or semi-attached adobe homes. Tomorrow we will visit the Acoma Pueblo, distinctive because it occupies the top of a high mesa. These folks are famous for the incredibly beautiful pottery they make and for the dramatic positioning of their village. When I visited there maybe 20 years ago, a few traditional folks were still living there. Today, I'm not sure.

Tonight we're staying at their modern casino and hotel. I have mixed feelings about the impact of casino money might have on native peoples and cultures, but I have absolutely no right to opine or interfere. One of the few things they had left after our treatment of them, was their own sovereignty. If that enables them to establish a casino and raise some money for their people, then I can't fault them for that. In fact, I contributed about $40 last night to these efforts via the slots.

P.S. I have been on the road four weeks now (as of Saturday). It seems longer and it seems shorter at the same time. There are certainly things I miss about home; our church, friends, our animals, and my bathtub, just to name a few. That said, I'm not ready to come home. We've started our return east and I'm finding I'm a little sad about that, not wanting this adventure to come to an end. I do love New Mexico and we'll stay in this state at least another two nights. We're not sure what route we'll take from here, but we would like to visit Asheville, NC, do some leaf peeping, and see my parents in Lexington on our way back. I'll keep ya posted!