Where to start?

What a day! We left home in 1-degree sunshine and roads that were glare ice, ended up in Flagstaff, 400+ miles later, about 7:30 p.m. in clear weather in the high 20s. (Actually, as I think back, it started blowing and drifting as we approached Flagstaff, and it was a blizzard by the time we left our room to go get supper ... but it really was clear north of Flag before dark.)

The picture above, of Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, shows why it took us so long. What a day!

We crept along in 4-wheel-drive on US 160 toward and past the Four Corners Monument. The bright sunshine on fresh snow was beautiful to see on the landforms we were passing. Past Mexican Water, we turned south toward Chinle, going up the Chinle Wash (which flows north toward the San Juan River).

It was a great day to see and photograph the sandstone monoliths, buttes and mesas that dot the Chinle Wash ... blue sky above and white snow below, sandwiching the red rocks. 

At Chinle, we stopped briefly at the visitor center (where I saw an old NPS friend) and drove up the South Rim Drive to the Spider Rock overlook and worked our way back down the canyon. It was SO beautiful!!! The air was crisp and clear ... and cold, and the colors were sharp and beautiful. 

Time was getting away, so we took a pass on Ganado and Hubbell Trading Post NHS for this trip, turned west and went out through Hopi country to Tuba City and down to Flagstaff. A quick side trip up onto First Mesa gave us the awesome view from the villages on the top. Going west from Hopi in the sunset always gives you a vast landscape, painted with shadows and pastels from the sun and clouds. South from Cameron to Flagstaff in the dark ... well, there's not much to say. 

It was a long day, late when we got fed and settled into our warm room at the Pony Soldier (I stayed here about 30 years ago ... they've fixed it up since), but we have great memories and pictures, and we'll be back! TV