The next morning after a very filling breakfast of Huevos Rancheros and Navaho fry bread, my wife spotted a really nice Kachina doll. The carved and painted image was quite stark and simple compared to most of the Kachina dolls we had seen. We both liked it and couldn’t pass it up, spending $40.
We drove down the South Canyon Road stopping at all of the viewpoints points all of which were geologically spectacular. At each of the viewpoints there were many Indian vendors hawking necklaces, rings, and other jewelry.
The only trail we saw which led down into Canyon De Shelley was the Whitehouse Trail. It had a steep grade descending into the valley bottom, and once at the bottom, I was gobsmacked at just how massive and solid the red/brown sandstone sides of the valley were. They dwarfed everything.
In the undercuts on the lower sides of the immense sandstone walls, ancient indigenous people had constructed stone dwellings. I couldn’t imagine how those people were even able to get up to those high dwellings, let alone build them. Surely it was a hassle to constantly have to go up and down to the valley bottom every time they needed water or to gather food.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
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