The last big adventure of our time with grandson Riley was a jeep tour in Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Northern Arizona. This canyon has been inhabited for over 5,000 years, first by Anasazi indians, then Hopi, and finally, Navajos. The only way to see the canyon is with a Navajo guide, so we scheduled a private jeep tour and headed into the canyon on a cool Sunday morning. The only time to go is in the morning, as afternoons are quite hot . . . even in this part of Arizona.
The guide drove us up a sandy wash still wet from rain a few days earlier. We stopped at ancient rock drawings and cliff dwellings. The highlight was White House Ruins situated high up the canyon wall. The indians lived in the cliff caves for protection from the hot sun, enemies and away from the danger of flash floods that swept through the canyon floor. Ten to 15 families still live and farm the canyon.
Canyon de Chelly to Heber, Arizona, is about a three hour drive, and we arrived midafternoon. Riley was chomping at the bit to see his dad who met us at the Heber cabin. We said our goodbyes, and he was all smiles as he headed back to the Valley to see his friends and get ready for the start of school. On August 12 he turns 13 . . . officially a teenager! This may be the last trip he'll want to take with grandma, but I hope not. We'll miss him!
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