Day 27 - Thursday, June 26, 2008

Day 27



Chinle, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico



It was a rough night for the archeologist. Her "ghost bead" necklace seemed to have actived nightmares instead of warding them off. Also, her ribs were hurting (possible due to a little over-zealous hiking in the Canyon the evening before).



Once everyone got settled, we took off for the south rim again to see the overlooks we didn't get to last night. We drove straight out to Spider Rock overlook (the most famous one and the most distant one). Something amazing happened there.



It rained.



This was the first time it had rained on us during our entire time in the Southwest.



And it happened like this: We were at Spider Rock overlook at the same time that a group of Native American school children were there. They arrived just as we did on two yellow school buses. After they made the hike to Spider Rock lookout and back, one of their teachers asked them to do a rain dance so that he wouldn't have to water his corn that evening. Several of the kids did a dance (they looked like they ranged in age from 3rd grade to 5th grade) and a few minutes later it started to rain. The teacher smiled and they all got on the bus.



We all just kind of looked at each other, impressed and surprised, and then we went on to Face Rock overlook and Sliding House overlook.



As the little human remarked, "Every place you turn your head, it's like you're looking at another postcard."



And it's true. Every view out the window, every national and state park, every mile down the highway and byway -- each tableau is a picture-perfect postcard with land, sky, sun, and clouds all complementing each other and framing each other beautifully.



When I graduate from RSC, I am totally going to move here. Even though brown bears aren't native to the southwest, I'll find some way to fit in.



After our second tour of the south rim, we decided to save the north rim for our next trip out here and head on as we slowly make our way back home.



We took 191 South to 264 East to Window Rock, and then we took 491 to Gallup, where we hunkered down for the night (and did laundry!).