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Indian Country 2004 - Photo Trip Diary
Click on a thumbnail. These fifty four photographs were made on my annual photography tour of Indian Country, loosely based on the wonderful Autombile Club map of the same name. The circular route took us through New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. From Albuquerque, where our group of photographers met, we traveled along Route 66 to the pueblo of Acoma and Gallup, then to Canyon de Chelly, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon and back to Albuquerque.
The Trip Would Not End
Even as we reached Los Angeles, where I live, we were reminded of Indian Country as we moved along in heavy traffic behind a truck from the Navajo shipping line. I pulled out my little point-and-shoot camera and made the photo as we inched forward.
Neon!
The El Vado is a quaint throwback to days of yore along Route 66, just south of the Albuquerque city center.
El Vado Motel, Albuquerque
After visiting Chaco, we returned to Albuquerque. We spent the night in the motel that looks much as it did in the 1930s, when travelers made their way east and west along famed Route 66.
Cliff Palace
The drive along the mesa tops in the park provides some dramatic views of the cliff dwellings.
Spruce House
One kiva - at Spruce House in Mesa Verde National Park has been restored. It's possible to climb down into the kiva here.
Rain Over Shiprock
Past the Chuska Mountains, we reached massive Shiprock, an enduring symbol of the American southwest.
Near Lukachukai
Fantasic red-topped mesas vied with the storm clouds for our attention.
Dog, Sheep, Lukachukai Mountains
"Move along here, folks, there's nothing to see!" The sheep dog turned his charges toward the Chuska Mountains (over which we would soon travel) while he kept a wary eye on us.
Deer and Ducks
After leaving Canyon de Chlley, we stopped to watch a deer, which in turn watched us, along the highway between the communities of Chinle and Lukachukai.
Storm Light over Canyon del Muerto
Waves of hail washed over Canyon del Muerto (part of Canyon de Chelly National Monument), but holes in the clouds allowed the sun to light up portions of the canyon.
Overlooking Spider Rock
I climbed to an outcropping for a closer view of the famed spire that juts up in Canyon de Chelly.
Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly
Besides enjoying the astounding site of the 800-foot high spire, we drank in the sounds of a whinneying herd of horses and the howling of coyotes - the latter invisible to us - at the bottom of the canyon.
Navajos at Canyon de Chelly
We traveled from the Hubble Trading Post to the little town of Chinle and the nearby Canyon de Chelly National Monument. These men hoped to sell paintings and jewelry to tourists - of which there were very few this day - atop the north rim of the monument.
Pottery at Acoma
The artisans at Acoma are known for their black-on-white pottery. But a walk through the pueblo reveals that pottery can be any color.
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