Canyon De Chelly National Monument in AZ

There was something truly magical about Canyon De Chelly in Chinle, AZ. Just a 5 minute drive off US 191. The gigantic rock formations and deep valleys are great reminders of just how small we really are. As I walked the foot paths of the scenic over looks I could here beautiful flute playing off in the distance. When I returned to the parking lot, there stood a Navajo man and his girlfriend who was selling home made jewelry. The man spoke of kokopelli(god that represents the spirit of music)and I couldn’t help but feel like I had stepped backwards in time.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument ( /dəˈʃeɪ/ də·shā′) was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of the National Park Service. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (also called Anasazi) and Navajo. The monument covers 83,840 acres (131.0 sq mi; 339.3 km2) and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuska mountains just to the east of the monument. None of the land is federally owned.