Photogenic Canyon de Chelly

Sitting on the floor-Japanese style - jotting down some notes about the most photogenic place in the world-Arizonais hardly compatible with the view out of my window. Instead of bittes and mesas I see the swayback roofs of Shinto temples. In place of Navajos on horseback I see orientals in buses and taxicabs. No rugged mountain range cuts across the far horizon. Instead, I view the shapely, snow-covered pinnacle that is Fuji.

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS by RAY MANLEY I dream of my home in Arizona. But I am writing from a room in Hakone, Japan. Discussing my favorite photographic subject while separated from it by nearly seven thousand miles may seem a bit unusual. However, the perspective only serves to strengthen my feelings toward the beauty that is Arizona...

NOTES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

OPPOSITE PAGE "WINTER COMES TO CANYON DE CHELLY" Photo taken at base of 900 foot Spider Rock at junction of Bat Trail and Canyon de Chelly. Photo shows a deserted hogan and sheep corral. The Navajos had moved on top of the Canyon for the winter. A ten inch snow had transformed the canyon into a winter wonderland. When this photo was taken, photographer Manley and his son, Alan, were the only persons in the canyon. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.19 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; February; bright sun 11:00 Α.Μ.; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

FOLLOWING PAGES "WHERE TWO CANYONS MEET" Photo taken near junction of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto. This was the first wagon to re-enter the canyon during spring of 1964. This farmer wanted to get his plowing underway early. A light snow soon melted. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.20 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; April; bright but slightly overcast and hazy day; ASA rating 50.

"WINTER BRILLIANCE - CANYON DEL MUERTO" In Canyon del Muerto. One should read meter carefully for this most important area. If this is impossible, a basic exposure can be used as a guide by stopping down one full stop to allow for snow brilliance. Snow and white skies will give an erroneous reading for canyon walls, etc. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.20 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; January; high haze; ASA rating 50. "BEAUTIFUL VALLEY" This area is similar to the Painted Desert and is just as colorful. It is just south of Chinle in the Canyon de Chelly National Monument area. Canyon de Chelly is in far distant top left background. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.22 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; January; bright sun; ASA rating 50.

"ALONG WHITE HOUSE RUIN TRAIL" White House Ruin trail. Here the Navajos are seen returning to their farms at the end of winter. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.18 at 1/60th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; May; mid-morning sun; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

"FIRST OVERLOOK CANYON DE CHELLY" This is the first view one sees of magnificent Canyon de Chelly on the rim road from park headquarters to Spider Rock overlook. This is one of several spectacular view points from which canyon can be seen from private cars from rim. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.20 at 1/60th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; winter; bright sun; Meter reading 400; ASA rating 50.

"SPRING COMES TO CANYON DE CHELLY" Photo taken one mile downstream from White House Ruin. Apricot, peach and apple trees grow in the sandy soil of the canyon. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.30 at 1/25th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; March; bright afternoon sunlight; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

"PANORAMA CANYON DE CHELLY" This air view was taken by Maurice Koonce and Ted Schwartz of Ray Manley Commercial Photography, Inc. White House Ruin overlook is seen on the far center right of the photograph. 5x7 fixed focus aerial camera; f.9 at 1/250th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; midsummer; bright sun; Meter reading 300; ASA rating 64.

"FACE ROCK - CANYON DE CHELLY" Photo taken in Canyon de Chelly near Spider Rock. Face Rock stands 900 feet tall at upper limits of the Canyon. The Navajo woman, though cooperative, refused to ride horse in stream as there was quick-sand in this area. Who can blame her? 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.19 at 1/60th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; fall; bright sunlight; Meter reading 400; ASA rating 50.

"RETURN OF THE SHEEP - CANYON DE CHELLY" Photo shows first sheep back into the canyon after wintering on top. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f. 12 at 1/100th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; May; morning sunlight; Meter reading 300; ASA rating 50.

"VIEW FROM SPIDER ROCK OVERLOOK" View from Spider Rock overlook some 1200 feet above canyon, 900 foot Spider Rock at junction of Canyon de Chelly and Spider Canyon. This is one of the most thrilling overlooks in the Monument. A must for all visitors. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.20 at 1/50th sec.; 180mm Symmar lens; fall; bright sunlight - low on horizon at 11:00 A.M.; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

"NAVAJO SUMMER SHELTER" Summer shelter between White House Ruin and Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly. 4x5 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.12 at 1/100th sec.; 135mm Symmar lens; summer; morning sunlight; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

"SUMMER HARVEST CANYON DEL MUERTO" Photo taken near Standing Cow Ruins, Canyon del Muerto. Navajo women own most of the possessions and do most of the work. Modern Navajo men, however, help and work alongside the women. 4x5 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f. 12 at 1/100th sec.; 135mm Symmar lens; June; early afternoon sun; Meter reading 300; ASA rating 50.

"MUMMY HOUSE CANYON DEL MUERTO" One of the most spectacular prehistoric ruins in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. In 1893, ruin was found to have 90 rooms, 3 kivas. Charcoal dating shows occupation as early as 348 A.D., in use as late as 1284 A.D. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f. 14 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; June; afternoon sunlight, hazy overcast; Meter reading 100; ASA rating 50.

"TOUCH OF AUTUMN-CANYON DE CHELLY" Fall color usually comes in late October and holds through midNovember. This is the most beautiful time of year to visit canyon. Usually summer floods have passed, sands are still damp and travel in canyon is easier. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.16 at 1/50th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; November; bright sun; Meter reading 200; ASA rating 50.

"LAST WAGON OUT CANYON DE CHELLY" Summer is over; autumn season is waning. Winter storms are soon expected so the last Navajo family starts for the high rim to spend the winter. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f. 11 at 1/100th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; November; bright fall afternoon sun; Meter reading 200; ASA rating 50.

"A CANYON FAREWELL" Photo taken in Canyon del Muerto. The Navajo family is leaving the farm for canyon mouth and then by road to plateau above for winter. Sheep had been driven ahead. The family will return in spring. 5x7 Linhof camera; Daylight Ektachrome; f.14 at 1/100th sec.; 210mm Symmar lens; November; bright fall light; Meter reading 250; ASA rating 50.

CANYON de CHELLY

At Chinle, the quaint but expanding Navajo town near Canyon de Chelly's mouth, is the old Thunderbird Lodge. Its owners retain an air of the old style Western hospitality, serve excellent home-cooked meals, and have thirty-seven rooms available to the visitor who does not wish to camp out. Adjacent to the lodge is one of the oldest trading posts on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Every conceivable kind of merchandise is on display here, including Navajo rugs of outstanding quality. An old pawn vault contains Navajo jewelry, some of which can be purchased out of pawn from time to time. With its collection of all manner of hardware and dry goods, as well as counters and shelves stacked with items of food, the trading post at Chinle will amuse oldtimers and amaze members of the younger generation. For it is a mercantile establishment that harks back to frontier days. They just don't make 'em like that any more.While access to the rim of Canyon de Chelly is easy and safe by automobile, special four-wheel-drive vehicles are necessary to travel in the canyon's depths. Drivers from Thunderbird Lodge will take visitors up the canyon for half a day or for a more complete full-day trip if desired. Visitors may hike into the canyon without preliminary preparations. But only authorized vehicles with a guide are given Park Service permission to enter. All who penetrate the canyon in any manner must register at the Park Service office. The canyons are patrolled regularly by members of the Service and, if the rules are obeyed, there is little danger from such a journey. Normally dry, the canyon often fills with several feet of water resulting from storms or the normal spring runoff. During those times it is usually impossible for even the most intrepid vehicle to enter the canyon. Sands become shifty and dangerous, and traction is virtually impossible. Hiking may be accomplished when the stream is high, but only if the hiker is willing to splash along in his bare feet. The stream must be crossed dozens of times between the mouth and the end of the canyon.

I continue to refer to “the canyon.” But actually, the Defiance Plateau is cut by three separate canyons. The southernmost and largest is Canyon de Chelly. To the north is the smaller but no less fascinating Canyon del Muerto. From the former, to the east and south, extends Monument Canyon. For photographic purposes it is best to scout del Muerto in the early morning, leaving de Chelly for the afternoon. This kind of reconnaissance is necessary to become acquainted with the many photographic features of each canyon. After the initial scouting trips you will have an understanding of the light conditions that make it possible to plan your return armed with camera and film plenty of film. Because of the nature of Canyon de Chelly National Monument and the unusual light conditions that prevail there you cannot hope to get the best light for every picture during one day's journey into any of the canyons. But it is my opinion that no other place in Arizona will offer as many varied scenes and light conditions in a single day. So how can you lose?

During the past few years I have made seven trips of two days or more into the canyons to get the photos forthis story. Added up, those trips come to at least fourteen days in the canyons of the Defiance Plateau. You may think that such coverage would make me feel that I had exhausted every possibility. Not on your life! I know there will be new pictures to be had from every subsequent trip and I will go back again and again. I know that the sun and the sky and the shadows still have performances to put on; performances that may not have played for centuries; special performances with special lighting and special effects. And I want to be there at curtain call. I want to get that special picture that all photographers dream about and worry about missing.

this story. Added up, those trips come to at least fourteen days in the canyons of the Defiance Plateau. You may think that such coverage would make me feel that I had exhausted every possibility. Not on your life! I know there will be new pictures to be had from every subsequent trip and I will go back again and again. I know that the sun and the sky and the shadows still have performances to put on; performances that may not have played for centuries; special performances with special lighting and special effects. And I want to be there at curtain call. I want to get that special picture that all photographers dream about and worry about missing.

When you visit Canyon de Chelly I would suggest that, if it is at all possible, you take the guided tour. There is nothing to compare with it. Leaving the lodge, your four-wheel-drive vehicle will plunge into shallow water and enter the deep canyon before your face feels the rays of the morning sun. Or, if your trip is during the dry season, you will grind your way through powdery sand until you gain the ancient little trail that commuting Indians have worn into the meadows with the wheels of their one-horse wagons. Because you have a reliable Navajo guide at the wheel, you can give your full attention to the beauties of the canyon. And those beauties lie on every side. Look straight ahead and you will see pinnacles and caves that beckon you to explore the canyon's farthest recesses. Look to the right and left and you will see the canyon's sheer walls rising almost a thousand feet to the rim. Look above and you will see a blue sky that is unmatched. Several miles from the canyon's mouth you will enter the branch that signifies the beginning of Canyon del Muerto. Cliff dwellings abound here as do petroglyphs, Moqui steps and patina draperies on the cliff walls.

Perhaps your first noteworthy stop will be at Antelope House with its square tower rising starkly beneath a great overhanging cliff. Here morning light serves best for photographs if you prefer direct sun rays. Antelope House is one of several significant ruins in the region which account for the fact that Canyon de Chelly National Monument is the largest of all national archaeological monuments. Although the ruin has stood for many centuries, it was only about one hundred and fifty years ago when a Navajo painted a colorful series of antelope pictures on the canyon wall immediately behind the ruin. Pictographs etched into the rock by prehistoric men also appear on the wall here. The square shape of the ruin contrasts sharply with the rounded character of the canyon's walls and enhances good photography.

Farther up Canyon del Muerto is an Indian “art gallery” of incomparable beauty; a wall filled with magnificent carvings and paintings depicting the coming of Spanish missionaries followed by armor-laden Conquistadores, dogs and cattle. Near this site is an alfalfa field where it is common in the spring to see a handsome elderly Navajo plowing. When the light strikes his face with the same intensity as it bathes the walls of the canyon you would swear that face had been carved from the same rock. During later seasons this man's wife may be observed in the field swinging a scythe, harvesting alfalfa. After cutting, the grain will be stacked in rows to dry.

There was a time when Standing Cow Ruins would have offered the photographer one of his biggest canyon thrills. But that was long ago. Once the largest dwelling in all the canyons, Standing Cow stands no more. It is almost completely fallen. But the blue and white paint ing of a cow for which the ruins were named-will stares down from the canyon walls. A Navajo artist is responsible for that cow. Nearby pictographs may have been cut into the walls by that same artist's great-great grandfather. Much of the art work on the walls at Standing Cow is lighted by the sun during most of the daylight hours. It faces south and therefore is exposed to bright light longer during the fall and spring than in summer when the sun is farther north and is obscured by the rim of the canyon.

During the next ten miles of the journey up Canyon del Muerto the works of nature, rather than of man, are featured. Every bend in the canyon reveals a patina tapestry that glitters in the sun, defying you to name its color. Every rock formation, every new bend, every splash of desert varnish offers ideal picture possibilities. And, if you are particularly lucky, you may catch sight of a Navajo woman seemingly scaling the sheer walls high above the canyon floor. Navajos have lived and farmed in these canyons for more than 200 years and they know every nook and cranny. Often it is much easier to climb over the rim to visit nearby relatives than it is to traverse the canyons to the mouth, then double back to reach a point on the rim. Many years ago the wise mile-conscious Indians chiseled hand and toe holes into the sheer cliffs so that the easier routes might be taken. To this day those "Moqui steps" are used. It is not uncommon to see a woman in velveteen skirts, with a child or a bundle of belongings on her back, climbing out over the canyon's rim. The hand and toe holds are so small that they usually cannot be seen from below. Thus, the woman appears to be scaling the wall like a human fly. The illusion has been known to cause certain tourists to react rather violently.

The Navajo is so conscious of the "shorter way" that a man may dismantle his old wagon on the rim and lower it, piece by piece, hundreds of feet into the canyon, using a stout rope. Such a sight is rare, indeed, but it does happen. And if you are there with your camera you can snap pictures of inestimable value.

Speaking of rare sights, I had a bit of luck during my last visit to the canyons. It was in April and the runoff was greater than usual. Canyon de Chelly had more water flowing through it than I had ever seen before. It was impossible for vehicles or wagons to enter through the usual route from the mouth. Yet it was time for the Navajos to return to the canyons to begin planting their small plots in the meadows. From my vantage point on the rim near White House Trail I could see a few tiny figures moving in the canyons below. I knew that some of the Indians had already preceded me by way of that trail. Spring was in the air and I was certain that if I got to the bottom in time for the noon sun I could get pictures of blooming peach trees. Two Navajo women, one a young mother, the other an old grandmother, had walked ahead of me down the White House Trail. The younger carried a papoose on her back; the older woman held the hand of a young girl, perhaps seven years old. It was inevitable that I catch up to them as I descended the trail and, although I had taken pictures of women and children many times before, I could not resist spending some more film to record their descent at various scenic places along the path. Then, at the bottom, I went in search of blooming peach trees and paid no more attention to the little Navajo group.

I had just set up my camera under a beautiful pink tree and was ready to snap the shutter when my companion, writer Stanley Jones, emitted a war whoop and pointed to the river several hundreds yards away. The Indian women and children had plunged into the kneedeep water, modestly lifting skirts to just above the knees. They were bent on crossing to the other side! It was a picture that I wanted badly and we gathered up our gear and ran to the stream. The next half hour was a hectic one. The river proved to be deeper than it had appeared and faster. The women, now in the middle and sinking into the soft sand with every step, were actually in danger. One upset could mean that the children would be spilled into the rapid water. Stan waded into the river, shouting that he would move downstream to protect the women, urging me to go ahead and concentrate on making pictures. I guess I was a hilarious sight as I splashed through the water to get set for the best view. I quickly noticed that the White House Ruin was immediately behind where the women were crossing. What a picture, I thought! Stanby gestures indicated to the women that he would stand by to assist if necessary and would they please continue to make their crossing in an unassuming a manner as possible. The women grinned and giggled, completely unaware of any danger to themselves or the children. I fumbled with my tripod and finally got it set up in two feet of water. It promptly began to sink into the soft sand. The water began to rise and the women found the going tougher with every minute. So did I. Four hands would have been an asset. I needed two just to keep the tripod from tipping as it sank into the bed of the river. But, in the end, and without any real casualties, we got the pictures. They turned out to be my favorite scenes of Canyon de Chelly. Later that same day we made the trip back to the rim for more film, descended again and got photos of the peach blossoms in bloom. It may have been the first time anyone ever had the opportunity to photograph women crossing the river and blooming peach blossoms all in one day. With that thought it was a wonderful fatigue that we experienced as we made the last painful step up the trail and went on to the Thunderbird Lodge for a late dinner.

Getting back to the tour of Canyon del Muerto, there are corn fields there and it is possible to come upon Navajos shucking ears. One November I had the good fortune to find a seventy-year-old blind man sitting among the cobs doing the only thing he could do to contribute to the family of his son and daughter who cared for him. There sat the bronzed old man amid piles of multicolored corn, stacking usable husks on one side and edible ears on another. The Indian's sense of humor had not diminished with the tragedy of his blindness and he could Smile at the photographer who asked that he be allowed to take his picture. One always asks permission to take a picture of an Indian. And one usually offers a small gratuity for the privilege. The old man was most cooper ative and the setting was an inspiring one. Resulting pic tures were unique and are among my favorites.

The ultimate goal of tours of Canyon del Muerto is usually the two huge caverns called Mummy Cave and Massacre Cave. The first is named for findings in its burial ground. The National Park Service declares Mummy Cave to be the most valuable and perhaps the most spec tacular of prehistoric sites in Northern Arizona. Archae ologists tell us that the cave is the oldest continuously occupied place in North America. It had been lived in for more than a thousand years, inst by Basketmakers who dug pit houses in its floor, later by Pueblos who con structed the rock dwellings that still stand in ruins there today. The odd, almost banana-shaped contour of Mummy Cave makes it react uniquely to the various posi tions of the overhead sun, and some good photos may be taken there at certain times of the day. The ruins of Mummy Cave are centered atop a little rock hill, making them most picturesque. From the cave's rim, fingers of black-red patina flow downward as if pointing to this his toric place. Above and around Mummy Cave are some of Canyon del Muerto's most unusual and rugged rock formations. The whole scene offers the photographer a myriad of camera settings.

Massacre Cave is a short distance beyond Mummy Cave. It contains no ruins of archaeological significance for it was used primarily as a retreat for Indians pursued by enemies. Many such caves dot the region; caves in which women and children were hidden while braves pursued the policy of constantly harassing nearby white invaders. Driven back into the canyons, the Indian men often disappeared into some of those caves where they joined families who maintained absolute silence while Invaders searched everywhere to no avail. Massacre Cave was not to be kept secret, and that is how it was named.

Following Coronado's establishment of Spanish head quarters at Zuni, New Mexico in 1540, much of the Northern Arizona sector was explored by the soldiers and priests of Spain. Canyon de Chelly was known to the Spanish almost as soon as they arrived in the area. Indian resistance to the invaders began in Coronado's time and extended down through the years until as late as 1864 when Colonel Kit Carson finally subdued the last of the warring Navajos in the canyons. Carson's victory was a merciful one. He burned the Indians' fields and starved them out of their canyon caves rather than use his superior forces to decimate the tribes. So it was not, as many people suppose, Carson's invasion of Canyon del Muerto that gave Massacre Cave its name. It was the action of a not so merciful Spanish invader, Lt. Antonio Narbons, that earned the bloody name for the big cavern.

In 1805 Narbona was sent into the canyons to punish Navajos who had committed raids against Spanish settle ments. The fleeing Indians holed up in Canyon del Muerto, seeking shelter in the big cave. Not content with bringing the braves to their knees, Narbona proceeded to A fire harquebus blasts into the cave. On his return to his headquarters, he proudly reported that his force had killed more than one hundred Indians during the episode. Ninety were braves. The terms "Canyon del Muerto" (canyon of death" and "Massacre Cave" both evolved from that incident. Narbona later became the governor of Spanish New Mexico Province. As you train your camera on Massacre Cave, perhaps the ghosts of those ninety Navajo braves will look down at you and wonder what kind of missile will be shot from the odd-looking box on legs.

Massacre Cave is the end of the wheeled journey in Canyon del Muerto. It is possible to proceed farther on foot, but since the return trip offers new variety and new lighting conditions, it may be well to turn back at once. If you are particularly fortunate as you retrace your route, (especially if you are there in the fall) you may meet a Navajo family leaving the area to spend the winter else where. To my knowledge, no Indians stay in the canyons the year around. Winters are cold in the depths of the canyon and there is little to occupy men there when farming has ceased.

The Navajo exodus from the canyons is a sight to behold. Usually an old wagon with one horse is employed to move family and possessions down the trail. The wagon will be loaded high, for the trip must include hay for the horse. Behind the wagon you may see children driving a flock of sheep and goats, and other Indians whose wealth does not include wagons and horses. The latter will be carrying big bundles on their backs, leading small children by the hand. If you come upon such a sight, hurry ahead to set up your camera. For from a distance ahead, such groups can be photographed from selected vantage points where the view is breathtaking and where the relationship of little men to the huge canyon is pronounced. The great, sheer canyon walls will dwarf the largest group of Navajos, wagons, horses and all, truly scaling the setting to its unbe lievable size. Many times I have been lucky enough to discover such an exodus and I have spent most of the day traveling with or ahead of the Navajos, fascinated by their every turn, photographing them continually until they emerge from the canyon's mouth. But if you are in the canyons for only a day, I suggest you grab what pictures you can, then have a bite of lunch in one of the many cool, shady spots, and prepare to enter the main canyon, Canyon de Chelly.

From its very beginning, de Chelly is fascinating as you proceed east through the maze. In the spring you will pass several large stands of peach trees that seem to burst with blossoms. When these old trees were planted no one seems to know. They receive little or no care, yet they bloom and bear small peaches every season. The Indian harvests the fruit for his own kind of jams and jellies but he seemingly makes no effort to prolong the life of the trees by cultivating the soil under them. Be that as it may, the trees grow and bloom and bear, pro viding a special kind of beauty. For several miles as you proceed into the canyons you will come upon groves of peach trees large and smell. Each is a thrill, especially if you are using color film in your camera. And I won't advise you to use plenty in this pink and red world of

Light and shadow where horses men and women walk in red, green and gold velveteen and the blue sky provides a backdrop for pure white clouds.

Your free access by Canyon de Chelly will be at White Home Ruin, and photograph of all the canyon's old build ings. One long wall in the upper part of White House has been clothed in white sand and is responsible for its name. Because the ruin sits on a ledge damp within a cave in an otherwise plant and unbroken canyon wall, the white of its facade against the black shadow of the cave' depth makes an especially effective contrast that gives the old ruin a third dimension, making it appear to be a part of the mountain. If a museum director had designed a show case to give the ruin all possible substance, he could not possibly have improved on the job that nature has accomplished here. At the bam of Wake House min suoda the melting vestiges of another par of the village which ones endred hate. Originally bullt in 2006 a.D., Whhe House was apended omdeg various palude of pre-kheory until t probably contained a population of bak she. What the visitor photographs bere soday in anly a small put of what once existed. The lower anin hae beast washed by Houde for contains antil only one thả of the coagined dwelling which adens to have combined several kivus - σαλατα today. Archaeologist tell us the villagers once poupied 17g moms and perfomed religions comemorêre in at least kour big kives of the White Hosan site.

One of the things that make White House such a joy to behold is in sating. Gerves of bags old cottonwood towe showed in this mus of Carpon ús Chelly and they change toler with the seasons, adding to the charm sud content provided by the old nản vìh the white clay walls. in spring the twens dos green and their leaves me shiny with the rooisture of new life. In the fall those leaves fast age, then to gold. During, these latec m the sast's podios allows in asys to penetrate deep into the cave and spish White Home with eagal light. The whole secto them becomes one of gold and red, menigly an on a stage bewach lage parka despecies due seren dames From the canyon cima in geenter profusion than ho say cher part of the goat gorge. Have your sanacet medy when you visit White House Hale. You laver saget the allor - at the expenditure of film.

As you pontioue op Capyun de Cholly, the nest point of interest will be The Window, and hole in the rotk same thirty feet high. A stop but say cilab will take you to an old com tonaga cave high up on the canyon wall. Viable below is a Morajo kogen which over la perded by groeing sheet, Zonvaines a veil of gray amoške zises from na a fire in the kogan. Light in this part of the caupea is cótical and I have found that midday is about the beat thue to set up for pikása. A cave silhouette is posible fost afrer toois. Just bekent nova le the best time to obatio a possing light that milence the layared sundstone face of the canyan walls. Skanse really spectacolu setzes may be lad from this point la Caryen de Chelly. The swindow can be used to facute vastata anations of the valley which are then seen in theat tase zelationships to the depth of the καρχοι της δε ταssues of the zing that wander back lots formts of pllion and pins.

So many wonderful sights, and at la Canyon de Chelly that it is almost too much to expect a good dinner at the end of your tour. But grand climax these last turn & corner show seventeen stories toward the canyon's mouth and you meet face to face with a ghost that rises from the case you four to a height approximating the sky. Here, at the function of de Chelly with Monument Canyon, is Spider Rock, a wondrous monolith that reaches from first toward the sky. It is difficult to believe that such a slim shaft of porous stone could withstand the ravages that time exacts. It is almost impossible to believe that this narrow, symmetrical monument has stood mutely at that function for hundreds of thousands of years without being visibly disturbed by the elements that have ravaged the wall of the canyon. It is beyond human comprehension to determine the number of eons that will be required to slowly wear away Spider Rock until it disintegrates. Yet, as you grab for your camera, you may have the uneasy feeling that the shaft might topple while you set up your tripod, despairing you of the rare privilege of making a portrait of one of the world's great stone wonders From the rim of Canyon de Chelly, Spider Rock is equally impressive, to be sure. To stand there and gaze out on the day wained surfaces of its caves is a residual experience. To look into the canyon's depths and realize that the great monolith rises independently from the floor almost one thousand feet below is awe inspiring. It is tall and so slim that it can be seen from as far away as White House overlook eight miles from Spider Rock as the crow flies. Yet, the tremendous size of the monolith can best be appreciated from inside the canyon when you look up and gasp at the sheer beauty and ponderous bulk of the sandstone shaft.

For the photographer, Spider Rock may be the turning point in a tour of Canyon de Chelly. Perhaps by the time the man with a camera reaches the monolith he will be unable to anticipate any further scenic marvel that might tempt his photographic appetite. It is time to return to the lodge.

On the way out, you may have some experiences that offer new photographic possibilities, but will make your memories of Canyon de Chelly indelible. Voices of stick dancers or the blessing of lambs might echo from the canyon's depths. If your tour is in winter, the stone may be alive in the canyon, but it may be a ribbon of ice winding among the rocks and sand bars. If in autumn, your visit will be made the more memorable by great yellow cottonwoods that cast purple shadows on the canyon's wall. In the spring or summer the right combination of welkin, alamos and sunshine could produce a rainbow to give the illusion of ribbons of color crossing from the canyon's depths. Another ride of the canyon-usually a potentially dangerous one-could allow you to witness a flash flood and not a trickling stream churn through the canyon bearing all pieces near of driftwood. Just this manner such a flood claimed one of the region and took the lives of an Indian family as it passed near Chinle.

To winter, new peldara falls site the way be the canyon floor, although it may blanket the land surrounding the rin.

But since all have exceptions to any rule, and the exception always is what the photographer looks for. If you ever visit Canyon de Chelly and find snow on top of the canyon you will be in for some sight with all the film in your pack. It is a scene that will never be forgotten. Clear blue sky overhead, blondred canyon walls all round, and snow-white floor at your feet. Not a sound will you hear, for snow has that rare acoustical quality that man has never been able to fully duplicate. The only signs of life will be tiny rabbit tracks on the wiggling evidence of some other canyon denizen. You'll wish you had come in hallucinogens for it seems almost sacrilegious to place a footfall toward such beauty.

There are other beauties that you might encounter in the great canyon. A violent wind-blown sometimes creates dust conditions that result in photos of magnificent amaranth views ve seemingly out-of-focus canyon views. Rain often hangs in curtains at one end of the canyon, providing a gray backdrop for the red walls. Sometimes lightning stabs its electric fingers into the canyon as if to try to light eternally dark corners said selves. A moody apocalypse might begin to hang so low that canyon walls and samotrites appear to float on the haze. Some of these scenes I have witnessed and photographed. Others remain for you to discover. And that is why I will go back to Canyon de Chelly again and again. That is why I think Canyon de Chelly allows the photographer great variety of scenic beauty than any other place in the world. I say this after seeing many scenic places in the world.

I wish I were there right now. Yet, I am still sitting cross-legged on the floor of a hotel room in Fukuoka, Japan. My legs are cramped and I barely seem to get up and walk to the windows. But if I were to peer out I would see again the sway-backed roofs of Shinto Temples beneath my sill, in the streets I envision the people moving slowly among the traffic. And on the horizon, snow covered Mount Fuji will still be there in all its sanity. But I would miss none of those sights. And I would be immune of the babble from below. For I am dreaming of my home in Arizona. And of blissful Canyon de Chelly,