Day 3 - Sedona Meets Youngblood Hill

This morning we woke up in the hogan to the sounds of a pan flute.  Never saw who was playing it but it was cool.  We tried out our cool backpack stove and fixed some dandy oatmeal before hiking off to the rim about a half mile away.  The sounds of cicadas and that flute will fill my head all day.  It was cool to sit on the edge of the canyon and have our quiet times.  We watched two deer scramble up the side of the canyon.

Before we left on our hike, there were several Navajo people preparing the sweat lodge right next to our hogan.  When we returned from the hike, we didn't see anyone but we could hear chanting coming from inside the little hide-wrapped, igloo-shaped hut.  It was really surreal.  I didn't see any freaky cultish like leaders yelling at people to stay inside so we didn't worry too much.  Hope they're all ok.

We left the park and decided to stop at the swap meet at the entrance and enjoy a Navajo hamburger.... Basically a double cheeseburger wrapped in fry bread with the freshest roasted green chilis you have ever tasted.  Plus a regular fry bread with honey for dessert.  While we were eating we chatted with Ben, a retired policeman who seemed to know everyone.  He told us about another way to get to Shiprock than the one we had planned.  We followed the North Rim to Greasewood and took a left, and then made a right at the GIANT gas station (it must have been a Mustang station before because we missed it twice looking for the Mustang sign)

THIS ROAD IS FANTASTIC.  Near the bottom it looked like Sedona and then it started to climb.  Ben warned us it was steep with sharp hairpin turns.  The speed limit was ten miles per hour.  You felt like you needed to go a little faster so you didn't go backwards.  We wanted to get pics of this but there was no where good to turn off.  We were also wishing we had video.... maybe another time when we get a helmet cam.  We will definitely do this road again.  At the top it looked like Mt. Lemmon.  We ventured over to the other side and as we did, I swore I saw Mordor.... oops....just Shiprock looming in the distance.  What an imposing formation right out in the middle of nowhere.  With this volcanic looking wall similar to the Great Wall of China stretching out on the side of it.  It was really cool. 

We ended up in Shiprock at the Sonic.  Time for a cool treat.  The shopping center next door had a name we couldn't pronounce.  We'd love to hear you try....

From Shiprock through Cortez and into Durango.  It felt like a long day.   We were ready for the fancy accomodations of the KOA Kabin.  Electric and showers nearby.  The also deliver pizza to your cabin.  No bag meal tonight.  Pancake breakfast in the am.  No kids with us so we skipped the Toy Story 3 movie in the pavillion....sure wish the kabin next to us had taken all theirs...... 

Oh....  forgot to write about the folks we met yesterday.  We saw them once at a gas station where I admired all their Harleys....mostly Road Kings..... I assumed they must be Harley snobs.  Anyway, we ran into them again at Spider Rock and it turns out they are all from Switzerland and they flew into Vegas and rented the bikes.  They are touring through the southwest.  They were super impressed that we had all our gear and cool bikes and were camping.  As I fired up T'Kahr they all smiled and waved us off.  Sweet. 

So....because we couldn't do pictures yesterday, I'm going to add some to that entry too....