A "Lost Episode"
Idiots without Borders – The Lost Episodes
Editors’ Note: This is an OLD episode. Idiots without Borders tells the tale of the Idiot travels from their summer home in Minnesota to their “new” winter home in Arizona in the fall of 2015 and their return to Minnesota in the spring of 2016. On the return trip the Idiots took pictures and had good intentions to share these episodes with friends – but life got busy. So… before the Idiots launch their next set of adventures, they are sharing a few “lost episodes.” This visit to Canyon de Chelly took place on May 3, 2016.
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There is a fairly straightforward sensible route for the Idiots to make their way from Green Valley, Arizona to Plymouth, Minnesota. They would visit their family in Silver City, New Mexico, then cross New Mexico, angle up through a little of Texas and Oklahoma, diagonal across Kansas, then straight north up Interstate 35 to Minnesota.
The trip started out that way – a nice visit with their New Mexico family – but it will not come as any surprise to long-time readers that the Idiots once again strayed. Leaving Silver City, they went Northwest, crossing back into Arizona. Early settlers found Northeast Arizona so remote and challenging that the government was willing to “give” a large parcel of it to the Navajo Indian tribe. It is remote… and challenging… and ethereally beautiful country.
Once again the wandering Idiot compass needle pointed the way to Canyon de Chelly. The beauty of Canyon de Chelly (say “canyon duh shay” and you’ll be pretty close) is obvious to all, but the nature of this complex canyon system varies depending on your point of view. To the government, it is a National Monument. To the Navajo, it is a place that has been a home and refuge for centuries – and the site of a famous massacre of Natives by US Cavalry lead by Kit Carson. To pueblo peoples, it is an ancient homeland of their ancestors – those Natives formerly known as the Anazazi and currently called the Ancient Puebloans – who built the great structures of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde and constructed stone homes throughout the region who were supplanted by the Navajo “newcomers.”
A compromise was reached years ago. The Navajo still live in the canyons. Tourists can peek into the canyons from the rims… and can enter the canyon on one trail (Whitehouse Ruin) without a Navajo guide. To actually tour the canyon floors, a tourist must engage either a group or individual tour with a Navajo guide. The Idiots did the canyon valley floor tour many years ago and they’ve hiked to Whitehouse ruin. These days they enjoy the views from the rims.
So… a few photos that give a sense of the splendors of Canyon de Chelly. These are all from a relatively short section of the south rim. The last trip the Idiots did the north rim – the Canyon del Muertos (Canyon of Death) drive. The pictures explain better than words can why the Idiots keep returning to this magical place…
Ancient sand dunes, buried and compressed into sandstone, erode into rounded shapes and form natural caves that became protected sites for Ancient Puebloan homes and granaries.
Today, Navajo hogans and corrals dot the bottom of the canyons, connected by sandy roads.
The Idiots move slower these days… and don’t cover as much ground as they used to. There’s a silver lining – slowing down encourages one to look more closely. There’s beauty in the details. Miniature landscapes greet the observant eye…
Reverence… or graffiti? Modern paint, ancient symbols… one can only hope they were placed here with respect.
For at least a thousand years – probably much much longer – humans have made their homes in these canyons. It isn’t hard to imagine oneself awaking a millennia past in one of these golden dwellings and watching the sun rise to paint the walls in rainbow colors, with bean and squash fields sharing the canyon floor with deer and antelope.
We tend to think of these ancients as primitive compared with more “civilized” European cultures. Evidence suggests quite the contrary. Excavations show that the Ancient Puebloans had more protein and more variety in their diet than most Europeans did in the same era. Their lifespans, stature, and general health were at least as good, and perhaps better, than those living in England or France or Germany.
The play of light on stone creates ever-changing beauty. (A close look shows the remains of human construction as well…)
Winter moisture brings green to the canyons. The river runs and snow melt recharges springs and creates seeps on the rock faces.
When they were children, the Idiots spent many hours finding fanciful scenes and creatures in the clouds. To be honest – they still do! The eroded features of Canyon de Chelly present new opportunities for imagination. For example - what a delight to find our old friend Falkor (from the 1984 film The Neverending Story) standing guard over the canyon. Their lives certainly reflect Falkor’s advice to Atreyu…
“Never give up and good luck will find you.”
