Painted Desert and Canyon De Chelly

May 10, 2010

Sometimes being in the wrong time zone can help. We all woke up before 5:30 and we were at the entrance to the Painted Desert by 7:15, which is only 15 minutes after the gates opened.

We got some great light on the badlands of the painted desert. The colors were beautiful.

Speaking of colors...It was amazing to see what a few hours did to the colors. We went in through the Painted Desert and then down through the Petrified Forest. Then we turned around and came back out the same way. The difference in time was only 2-3 hours, yet the difference in colors in the Painted Desert was phenomenal. The colors were much deeper hues early in the morning. There were completely different reds when we made our way out.

We got some great shots in the Petrified Forest. I tried to put the petrified wood in the foreground with a large formation in the background. I think it worked. I'll know for sure when I see them on the computer screen.

From there we rushed up to Chinle to meet the jeep tour. We were 45 minutes early.

It's difficult to keep track of the time here! The state of Arizona does not use Daylight Savings Time. The Navajo Nation does use DST. So when we left the Painted Desert, we were in one time zone. When we arrived in Chinle we were in another.

Annette had called the jeep tour company three times from home, but we were still not expected. We got a substitute guide. She told us a lot of good information about the cliff dwellings and rock formations, but chit chat was not her strong suit.

The jeep ride was still way more than we expected. We drove right up the river in Canyon De Chelly! it was great. We got lots of great pictures from the floor of the canyon. Tomorrow we will drive the roads at the top of the canyon and see if we can get any more pictures.

There were Indians selling jewelry down in the canyon. We looked at their stuff. Some of it was very nice. Some of it was expensive. I wished I had bought a piece down in there. It would be great to tell people that the piece was purchased down on the floor of Canyon De Chelly!

Until tomorrow...