After leaving the Gila Box area I decided to head north to check out Canyon De Chelly and the surrounding area. Had never been to to the area and I was close so it was a go. No riding and limited hiking in the park itself as it's on the Navajo Reservation and they control it pretty tight. The views from the north and south rim however are worth the drive. If you want to go down in the canyon to explore you have to do so with an approved guide and it's not cheap. There is one trail which you can take down but are not allowed to go any further once you reach the canyon floor. The Navajo are still allowed use of the land within the park itself so they restrict where one can go if you aren't Navajo. The Navajo have quite a bit of control here and the park allows them to set up trinket sales at the overlooks and a ranger told me they have a lot of car break-ins and littering by the Navajo youth. Based on the number of disposed beer cans it's apparent that there is a major drinking problem here as well. Certainly takes away from the beauty of the area. Signs everywhere reminding one to lock up all your valuables. Shame, as it certainly doesn't appear to me, that they appreciate the beauty of the land they own and live on. Pretty views but doubtful I'd go out of my way to come back here.
En-route to the canyon went up through Clinton, Az where they have a huge copper mine operation. Had stopped to go on a tour but wasn't anything scheduled for the day. Size of these rigs is impressive.
Some ruins in Canyon De Chelly
Worked my way over in New Mexico for a little while and explored some back roads but only stayed for a couple of days. I'll need to get back out this way in order to spend some more time. Lots to explore from the little I saw. Had a friend who was coming out to Utah for a week so decided to cut it short and work my way up towards Moab.
Lots of petroglyphs throughout the region. When roaming around on back roads one just needs to be on the lookout and you'll probably come across some.
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