canyon de chelly

Canyon de Chelly is one of those hidden gems. It's a little off the beaten path from the Grand Canyon and other major attractions in northern Arizona/southern Utah, but it's so worth it.

You can travel within the canyon only if you're accompanied by a Navajo guide. You get two choices: a group tour or a private tour. We opted for a private 3 hour tour (just like Gilligan's Island). And just like Gilligan's Island, there were times when we thought our tiny truck would be lost in the mud (again from snowmelt). But we were in the capable hands of our guide Ronnie. We saw lots of ruins (First Ruin, Junction Ruin, Antelope House Ruin, pictured at right) and many pictographs -- rock paintings. There were only two other tours in the canyon that morning, thankfully.

After the morning tour, we drove down the south rim, hiking to the White House Ruin, then stopping at Spider Rock for sunset. Sadly, we didn't get much golden light that night.