Water running over the rock walls in Canyon de Chelly create this effect.
Canyon de Chelly
Leftovers
All of the shots I posted from my recent trip to Northern Arizona were the popular ones that most have seen or heard about. The ones I wanted in my collection. Today I thought I would post a few photos of the same areas but scenes that are not as common.
Anasazi Ruins
Canyon de Chelly has several Indian ruins and they are well protected from the tourists for obvious reasons. I was here two days and this shot is the only one where I needed a zoom lens to get “close” enough. The Anasazi people are believed to be the first to reside in the canyon and were the builders of these dwellings.
The Canyon Floor
After driving along the rim of Canyon de Chelly I went into the bottom the next morning. You must have a Navajo guide take you because of the many ruins and sacred areas. Looking up gives you a much different perspective that looking over the edge. This shot is typical of the walls in color and shape. In the next couple of days I’ll post a few more.
Spider Rock
The last stop of the day was at the Spider Rock overlook. This sandstone monolith is 800 feet tall and was the highlight of day one at Canyon de Chelly. Tomorrow I’ll be going down into the canyon,
On Top of Canyon de Chelly
From the Painted Desert we drove to Chinle to see Canyon de Chelly. There is a paved road that follows the north side of the canyon with several turn outs allowing opportunities to shoot from above. This was late in the afternoon and the sun and clouds created wonderful shadows. The photos do a very good job of representing how majestic it is but one still needs to see it first hand to fully appreciate the beauty.