YOLO folks in AZ and NM Apr 2019

YOLO folks in AZ and NM Apr 2019
Turquoise in a Gallup, NM window front stopped me in my tracks.  I don't often see chunks of turquoise jewelry this big.  They were pretty impressive.

This Kokopelli design on a sidewalk grate surrounding a tree is pretty ornate.  I like that rascal trickster Kokopelli.

We read about the biggest flea market in the area and we happened to be there the day it was held.  We didn't think it was that special, just a regular flea market with tables set up in booths and folks renting a spot to sell stuff.  This food stall grabbed a picture because they sell Spam sandwiches on Navaho fry bread.  Who knew?

I just liked this combo of colors in the frilly, fragile flower.

We were after scenic sites and the real draw after Bisti was Canyon De Chelly.  I'd long wanted to visit this baby grand canyon.  

The sign at the visitor's center even has tiny cliff dwelling houses built in the rocks.  Cute.

A map of the extent of the canyons.  The roads are shown so you can see how far we had to drive to see the dozen overlooks.  It took us all day.

These two homes are examples of what the original Puebloans built to live in here in this area and in the valley of the canyon.  Logs and sticks and mud.

 A look at the inside of the stick lean-to shelter.  Pretty simple.

At Canyon de Chelly, we had to ease past these horses grazing along the road.

One of the first shots of the canyon floor shows the grey-green of the huge old cottonwoods on the bottom of the canyon.

The sheer rock faces contrast with the fields planted at their bases. A local woman told us they grow corn, apricots, beans, etc. on the floor of the canyon.

You can see the water that flows in the river to help grow the crops.

The rock slab that sticks out defies gravity.

A nice viewing bench, but too close to the dropoff.

A panoramic canyon view.  It really does rival the beauty of the Grand Canyon.

These rounded mounds of rock look so different.

These walls actually lean in over the valley.  You can see the dark marks made by years of water seeping over the edges.

You can see Jason at the othre end of the viewing area.

That's a huge standalone rock spire in the middle of the valley, Blade Rock.

Jason on some rocks near the canyon rim.

Blocks and slabs seem to form these edges of the canyon wall.

You can see some of the many tiny alcoves and canyons that lead off the main valley.

Karen on rocks near the canyon rim

Blade Rock is to my left as I edged out for this pic.  Made Jason and me nervous for me to be so close to the edge.

Looking down over the edge to the valley floor, some 6-700 feet below.

You've been warned as you walk from the parking area.

Some of Mother Nature's natural cairns.

Spider Rock is a famous rock spire that rises 750-800 feet straight up from the floor.

We met some other Spartan fans from Michigan, identified by hats and t-shirts.

The canyons seem to go on forever.

Karen overlooking Spider Rock, an iconic formation used in some commercials.

These pipes just focused your eyes on the highlighted sights, usually ruins of cave dwellers.

This is known as Mummy Cave overlook.  There were a couple of mummies discovered nearby.  The two cave-like alcoves look like eyes in a face, to me.

The closeup of the 'face' that includes Mummy Cave.  The dark weep marks from water running down the rock even look like a forelock of hair. You can see the ruins of ancient Puebloan homes.

Jason enjoying the grandeur of the view.

The echoes up here were fantastic.  "SEND MONEY, send money, send money" was funny to hear from another caller.

Even beyond the overlooks and roads, the canyon continues, even if by another name.

Massacre Cave overlook, where 110 people were killed.  The cave was tough to reach from below, and the group of Navaho tribespeople hid in the cave.  But it was easy pickings for the shooters from above and they all died.

A closeup of the Massacre Cave ruins.

Karen at the Massacre Cave overlook.

Looking out over the land, you may never know just a majestic canyon was just a few steps away.

The bright red rocks were a fantastic color along the rim lands.

The layers of different colored rock are very evident here.

Mesas like this are typical of the southwest.  Awesome.

The gold dirt of these mountains was a stark contrast to the other colors we normally saw.

Petrified wood, a whole field and parking lot full of it at a store that sells it.  You can't take it from national parks or monuments, so these sellers must have some private source.  They were amazing pieces.

I believe this is a chunk of picture sandstone they've used to create those coasters I love so much.  Drill a core, cut it into slices and glue a circle of cork on the back and you have a set of coasters.

An entire tree of petrified wood, broken into chunks.....heavy.

The purple flowers created a nice carpet of color.

Yellow flowers were a nice contrast color.

This is where I went rockhounding, just a little dirt trail pulloff from a random road down the side of a hill.  That bluish patch of mountainside in the center caught my eye and I went hunting towards it.  I found my own petrified wood near here.

Just under that bush in the pic above, I found this full set of clothes laying on the ground.  My imagination went wild--from a naked partygoer who forgot to reclaim his duds to a crime scene remnant.  I took the pic and didn't disturb them; just walked away.

Saguaro cacti along the road.

The orange flowers along the road presented a nice contrast to the desert green and grey.

The saguaro cacti were only on one side of the mountain as we came down towards Phoenix.

Up close, these roadside flowers were pretty and colorful.

Cacti and flowers cover a hillside.

The purply-blue flowers overtook the warm yellow and oranges.  How many arms can one cactus have?

The brilliant magenta bouganvillia in the suburbs of Phoenix were stunning.

Western metal art filled this field.

The stagecoach and horse seem life size.