A Collection of Random Tidbits from Our Trip

Rather than a rambling narrative of "first we did this, then we did that" or a forced thread that might twist the events of our trip into fiction for the sake of maintaining said thread, I figured I'd just provide a list of some of the notable occurances from our trip to Canyon de Chelly this weekend.

• Fossilized dinosaur mud prints reduced the men in my family to gleeful jibberings and scamperings. While I shared in the general sense of coolness, I was more happy to find a sodalite necklace. Yes, la, I am so fem. (Less cool about that brief stop was the tour guide singling me out when I was separated from Mark to hit me up for more "tip" money after Mark had already paid.)



• An unmarked, way off-road, severe minor canyon makes a perfect spot for lunch, once you factor out the gale-force winds that took both Drew's hat and mine. In both cases, the hats tumbled and glided and snagged almost miraculously in the last possible spot Mark could shimmy down and reach. Both hats bore Notre Dame logos. Coincidence?



• Both the Navajo and Hopi reservations featured gorgeous scenery and a propensity towards flashing electric billboards by any building of significance.



• Drew learned to fear ants after sitting on a rock swarming with them. I think he only got bit once or twice before we came to the rescue, but quite a few managed to crawl all over his legs at once, and Drew didn't seem to care for the sensation.



• I have searched grocery stores high and low for another bag of the new mint crisp M&Ms after sampling my first taste in the wave of promotion for the new Indy movie. My searches were all in vain until we walked into the Bashas in Chinle, AZ. I was speechless with delight. I managed to let the bag last until we got home, but I finished it Monday. Mint and chocolate. Mmmmmm....



• We hiked the sole free route down to the base of Canyon de Chelly to get a close look at one set of ruins. The trek was 2.5 to 3 miles (there was a conflict in the signage) and covered a change in elevation of 600ft. In high 80s, low 90s with no cloud-cover to be seen. Drew blazed the trail on the descent, got us down that 600ft drop (over about 3/4s of a mile, mostly in switchbacks one on top of another) in less than thirty minutes. He requested Daddy carry him back up to the top of the trail afterwards, and Momma led the way up, this time clocking in at 40 minutes. Go team us!



• On a related note, most folks who passed me on their way down took one look at me and said, "No need to say anything. I can tell it's going to be harder on the way up." Curse my fair skin and body chemistry that flushes my face to tomato read at the least provocation!



• The best Mexican food I have tasted can be found just off Hwy 60 in Show Low, high up in the eastern mountains of AZ. They also boasted the best margaritas in the state, but we had to drive back home yet and thought it best not to imbibe. Mark and I will have to make a weekend getaway up there for an anniversary celebration and test this restaurant's claim.



• We kept current on the NBA Finals while on our drip thanks to a billboard at a Church's Chinle. The restaurant owners were clearly Celtics fans.

I'll post more if my brain shakes anything else loose. It was a great trip, full of amazing views and quirky geology and fascinating history. I love me my adopted home state.