Current Travels

Natural and Human Wonders in Northeast Arizona

This trip took us to northeastern Arizona – Winslow, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly.  It was first planned three years ago, but due to shortage of time we traveled to Cimarron, New Mexico instead…and Cimarron turned out to be a great destination.  In early 2010 we had a plan to travel to the Azores in the spring, but realizing that is not the best time for good weather in the islands, we revived the trip to Navajo country.

The key question again was weather: the records were favorable.  That part of the “Four Corners” area is not a good destination in summer, or winter.  But by mid-March, we could expect temperatures in the 50s during the day and high 30s at night. Neither Canyon de Chelly nor Monument Valley was a destination for students during “spring break!”  And there were lots of travel articles praising the new hotel in Monument Valley…so we decided to get there before the crowds!  (Three years ago there was no good hotel in the Valley, so our delay was for the best.)

These are photos taken while we were in Monument Valley. It was only when I looked over my photographs after the trip that I realized how vivid the hues of the sands were. Some photos were taken from the hotel; others from a road trip in the valley and others from a 3 milke hike around "The Nest."

A panorama of Canyon de Chelly taken from the South Rim.