Window Rock

Interesting day. After a great sidewalk sale at the Cracker Barrel and replenishing supplies from Wal-Mart, we headed off Interstate.

We drove into the Navajo Reservation to Window Rock. Beautiful drive. To get there, we went barely back into Arizona and turned north. The red boulder formations and the canyons are a feast for the eyes. Also the imagination because I just can’t help thinking about the situation here a hundred or so years ago. The nomad villages. The life of hunting. The battles for survival. Today, of course, it’s much different. Where tee pees may have been are, largely, manufactured homes. As you drive along, most of them show up in groups of four or five, occasionally we ran across a single home. The few constructed houses are usually round—don’t know why. A few are obviously farming and raising either sheep or cattle. Most appear to be working away from home. Without the signs and maps I wouldn’t have known we were driving through a reservation.

About a half an hour into the trip, we arrived at Window Rock. The name comes from a red boulder formation forming a hole—a picture’s been loaded for viewing. A memorial has been built in front of the rock honoring those lost in battle. There’s also a monument recognizing the Navajo Code Speakers of World War Two. An entrepreneur was selling necklaces out of his car at the entrance to the memorial. What a contrast!

Window Rock is also the location of the Navajo Nation government. It’s a collection of buildings like the Department of Justice, Attorney General, Department of Education and so on. The reservation covers 27,000 square miles in three states. If you’re interested in more information, visit: http://www.navajo.org/.

Following our trip to the reservation, we backtracked to Albuquerque for our trip back. We enjoyed again seeing the remarkable rock formations and layered mountain views. This time from the other direction. As I’ve said before, my favorite site is the surprise high altitude glimpse of a large basis. Albuquerque was one of the best. Much better from the west than our previous approach from the north. As we crested the final hill, the vast basin in which Albuquerque rests springs into view. The city pretty much fills the basin with a nest of tall building in the center. A spectacular view.

An addition from a previous post. If you're interested in the Navajo performer on the train trip to the Grand Canyon, visit: http://www.cclearwater.com/

We’ll be overnighting in Albuquerque.