35 years and counting

I've always loved Sundance Resort.  My sister Janet and I took a BYU ski class there in 1975.  I broke my femur at this resort the same year.  I later returned to ski there with our kids and to enjoy the summer outdoor theater a few times with Rick.  We have gone to other places nearby including Timp Lodge and Aspen Grove many times over the years with church groups or work groups.  The canyon and surrounding areas are beautiful on the east side of majestic Mt. Timpanogos.  We've hiked to Stewart Falls with different groups of people at least a dozen times.  It is so close to our home, but it seems like it is so far away.  It is like visiting a mountain resort in a far away state.
When we were making plans for our 35th wedding anniversary, I told Rick that I would like to go to Sundance for dinner and an overnighter.  It was a relaxing get-away complete with good food, a cozy fireplace and a nice cup of hot chocolate out on the porch of our lovely room.  The decor is rustic and the scents are very earthy.  The ambiance is fantastic. The decorations have a Native American flair and the Tree Room has some impressive Native American baskets, rugs and Kachina dolls.  Our wonderful kids and their spouses treated us to dinner and we appreciated their love and support.
Unbeknownst to one another, Rick and I had each written a list of 35 things we appreciated/loved about each other.  As we took turns reading our lists to one another, it was a great walk down memory lane with a lot of laughs and happy, grateful tears and and a great way to recharge ourselves for the good years that lie ahead.
I appreciate and love my husband.  I am one lucky girl to have a good man by my side who knows me so well, who loves me in spite of my faults and who is my greatest champion.  Without getting too personal, let's just say that I did well all those years ago in saying YES to the man I married on June 16, 1979.  Happy Anniversary VFR!

The best part was...

 ...family time spent together.  We were all together for a few days over the Memorial weekend, with the noticeable exception of Dave, Courtney and Charlie.  We missed them. 
We visited, hiked, ate Navajo tacos, attended church at the LDS ward in Chinle, we played games, we had a FHE on family history, we celebrated Will's 2nd birthday, we chased rabbits, we played Frisbee and baseball, we took in the sights and we just loved being together.  The kids had a great time playing with each other and their aunts and uncles and grandparents. Family time really is the BEST time.

Canyon de Chelly

I had never heard of Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de shay, meaning inside the rock.) I didn't even know it existed. We have traveled to many places around Arizona and New Mexico, but we had never traveled this road before.  I love to see new places and learn about them.  This beautiful canyon was no exception.  No only was it beautiful with breathtaking views, but the Navajo history of this canyon is terribly interesting.  It is/was a sacred canyon to them.  They used it for protection, for gatherings, for raising peaches and other crops, for shelter in the winter months and also as a means to warn them of approaching danger when others came into the canyon.  Sounds and echos can be heard from miles away.
Kit Carson was spooked by the canyon.  As he began his campaign as an army commander, he was given the assignment to drive the Navajo out of the canyon. Outlaw Navajos (called ladrones, Spanish for thieves), as well as other Native Americans, and their neighboring New Mexicans, had raided, killed and enslaved each other since they had lived side by side during Spanish rule. Several treaties were made, but they were ineffectual at preventing violence between Americans and Navajos. It is interesting reading to get an idea of what happened in and around Canyon de Chelly by reading the Wikipedia version of events on Kit Carson, starting HERE. and beginning with "The Navajo Campaign." Kit Carson and his troupes used the "scorched earth policy" to drive the Navajo from the canyon.  A scorched earth policy is a military strategy which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. It is a military strategy where all of the assets that are used or can be used by the enemy are targeted, such as food sources, transportation, communications, industrial resources, and even the people in the area.
Kit Carson never entered the canyon, but he commanded his troupes to drive the Navajo from the canyon and forced them to walk a distance of over 300 miles to be relocated in Bosque Redondo/Fort Sumner in January weather.  300 Navajo died along the trail and the people refer to this forced walk and relocation as "The Long Walk."  A very long walk indeed.  After four years of starvation and other trials at Fort Sumner they were finally allowed to return home.

This from Wiki:
On June 18, 1868, the once-scattered bands of people who call themselves Dinéh (pronounced
 DeNae), set off together on the return journey, the "Long Walk" home. This is one of the few instances where the U.S. government permitted a tribe to return to their traditional boundaries. The Navajo were granted 3.5 million acres of land inside their four sacred mountains. The Navajo also became a more cohesive tribe after the Long Walk and were able to successfully increase the size of their reservation since then, to over 16 million acres. The map below shows the current land mass of the Navajo Nation.  Interestingly, the green patch on the lower left hand side is the Hopi reservation which is surrounded by the Navajo Nation. Tensions between the two tribes continue to this day.

With all the history in mind, you can imagine the thrill we had in visiting Canyon de Chelly over the Memorial Day weekend.  We were able to see the canyon at sunset and again the next day when we stopped at several look out points to view the canyon and then to hike to the bottom along a mile and a half trail through absolutely beautiful scenery.  Our whole entourage was able to make the hike, including two boys in carrying packs on their father's backs and two four year olds who had the time of their lives.  At the bottom we were rewarded with a close up view of the White House ruins that were build by the Anasazi civilizations. Anasazi is Navajo for "the ancient ones." We also got to see the spectacular Spider Woman Rock.  Navajo lore tells that Spider Woman—one of their most honored deities—chose the top of Spider Rock for her home. It was Spider Woman who taught her people the art of weaving, and through many generations they have remained accomplished weavers. Amazing! We were only able to view a small portion of the canyon (some of the north rim) and hope to some day return and view more of this beautiful canyon.

Our daughter Jordan did a great writeup of the trip on her blog HERE.http://jtrainride.blogspot.com/

Traveling through New Mexico and Arizona history

In preparation for our trip through Native American country, I read the book recommended by my son-in-law R called Blood and Thunder.  Wow.  Just wow.  I had heard the name of Kit Carson before, but I didn't have a very good idea of the role he played in conquering the American West, especially New Mexico and Arizona between the time of 1820 to about 1860s.  Manifest Destiny came to life and I leaned so much about all that happened in this critical time period.
I like to imagine what life would have been like for the thousands of Native Americans who lived in this area.  They had roomed this land for centuries and not no concept of boarders and laws brought in by the white man. Their lives were simple and they learned to be ingenious and live off the land, making use of the few resources at their disposal. I marvel at their abilities and skill with weaving rugs, making fine pottery, weaving baskets, making jewelry from the stones they found in their environment, and finding and cooking their traditional food.
As we began our journey, we traveled from Utah to New Mexico and started in Albuquerque.  From there we went to see Sky City in the Acoma pueblo.  We learned more about the Acoma people and the skill they have in making pottery. Their Sky City cultural center was very impressive.

From there we journeyed on to see El Morro National Monument that was spectacular.  Unfortunately we didn't get there in time to hike, but we did enjoy the visitors center and learning more about this huge sand stone rock and its significance. Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish and American travelers carved over 2,000 signatures, dates, messages, and petroglyphs into the soft sandstone. 

That evening we arrived in the Zuni Pueblo  and stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Inn at Halona arranged by R's father who works in the hospital in the Pueblo. He drove us around the Pueblo and told us about some of the history and the way the people currently live.  We enjoyed some fresh baked bread made in a large adobe oven and he also bought some individual fruit pies.  We got a demonstration from the man who made the bread as to how the oven works.  Impressive! We also got to eat some blue corn pancakes made by some industrious Zuni women for breakfast and they were delicious. 

After eating our huge and delicious breakfast at the Halona Inn, we traveled through Gallup, NM headed to Chinle, AZ.  We had a little tire trouble and had to make a stop to get it fixed.  We saw where R grew up and where his family lived.  We sojourned on to see the Window Rock AZ, the capital of the Navajo Nation. This wondrous site is also home to a hand-carved superbly-detailed Navajo Code Talker statue and a place that pays tribute to Navajo veterans.  Unbeknownst to many, the Navajo language played a very significant role in U.S. history. In fact, the Navajo language was used as a secret code in World War II, which was never broken by the enemy.  Today, these men who displayed their unequaled bravery and patriotism are known as the Navajo Code Talkers.

After leaving Window Rock, we traveled on to the historic Hubbell Trading Post  that is still in use as an active trading post of the Navajos in the area.  We enjoyed a tour and I added another beautiful tile to my collection from this trip.

Finally, we reached our destination in the afternoon - Chinle, Arizona.  We stayed in the Sacred Lodge Inn and enjoyed having our four rooms all in a row with a comfortable conference room situated close by for group activities.
I have a lot of respect for R's father R.  He served his LDS mission in the Navajo Nation and has spent his career working in health services among the Native Americans in Chinle, Gallup and Zuni. He is such a kind, dignified, hard-working, funny, generous man who is so interesting to talk to about Native American history and facts.  We enjoyed having him with us on this trip and appreciated his kind and gentle ways.