Visit to Canyon De Chelly - Part 2

As we started along the North Rim, we quickly realized we were going to get dirty.  Had to hide our cameras as much as possible.  In hindsight - I would have tried to find a tour in a closed Jeep, knowing the cost would have been much more expensive.  Oh well.  We came, we saw, we conquered.

Entering the Canyon - Guides needed from here on

Along the riverbed

First Ruins

Lots of petroglyphs

A different tour

At Junction where we headed north

Ruins everywhere we looked 

Saw First Ruins, Ledge Ruins, and then got to Antelope House.  Continued on to Standing Cow Ruins, stopped at the Navajo Fortress where the US Army under Kit Carson, chased and captured/killed many Navajo while they were rounding them up to take to Fort Defiance in 1863.  So very sad.  Many children and women climbed to the top of a large rock, keeping the Army from capturing them and eventually had to give up, running out of water and food after a long period.

Got to Mummy Cave Ruins which is so named because 2 mummies were discovered in the early 1900s but because they were over 6 feet tall, the archeologists knew they were not Native People - Natives are much shorter, most only about 5 foot tall before the 1900.  DJ pointed out that the ruins were from the Anasazi (Ancient Ones) on either side of the center structure, where as the center structure ruins were from the early Navajo times.

Met up with the morning tour - they turn around at this point, we go on

Tucked under walls are summer homes of Navajo

A big kitty cat! 

See the antelope on the walls?

Tucked wayyyy under

First glimpse of Antelope House

That is an ancient symbol representing earth, wind, fire, and water.

Antelope House Ruins

Rest period - at Antelope House Ruins 

Residents are at home

Had lunch, turned around and booked it back to Junction Ruins where Canyon Del Chelly takes off to the south.  We wondered why we went north first - the sun would be on the northern ruins and not on the southern ruins in the morning.  And vice versa for the afternoon.  Sun on the ruins in the southern rim.

Sun just peeking around

Looks like a howling coyote!

Navajo Fortress - about 500 feet tall

Petroglyphs depict Spaniards coming into canyon

All summer homes have the ceremonial Hogan

Standing Cow Ruins

Interesting shapes - all sandstone!

Horses, cows and sheep roam freely

Mummy Cave Ruins

Our lunch stop

Back to Junction to head South (about 1:30pm)