Our 4C Adventure seems lifetimes ago, even though just over a month has passed. April 23 we parted paths with Zubair and family to fly on a wide detour from Cortez to Durango. After circling and snapping these pix of Shiprock we headed southwest toward Canyon de Chelly, not realizing that would take us across the edge of the area of AZ identified as Red Rock on the aviation chart.
9753 Lukachukai Life
In little more than an hour we’d gone from a life of flying with friends, to circling stupendous Shiprock and now to taking in these wonders of sculpted stone where N-13 descends from Roof Butte to Lukachukai. Even after so many rock formations of this kind, we couldn’t help detouring to the northwest along the ridge to explore more. Where we finally turned back direct to Canyon de Chelly we saw these blades and spires quite similar to Monument Valley.
9780 Mini Monuments
A few minutes later we were gazing into the towering cliffs of Canyon de Chelly, drinking in an entirely different life down on that broad riverbed.
9875 Canyon de Chelly
Even with the dust kicking up all across the region, the views were spectacular. In many places like this, time seemed to stand still even though it also seemed to speed us across more lifetimes as we lazily toured these enchantments.
9987 Carved Canyons
We stopped at Chinle for fuel, stretch, and a tiny taste of the life there as we spoke with the friendly airport manager. Then back into dream time on a different route past Cove, AZ along the edge of the area identified as Red Valley on gMaps and past many other wonderments until we reached Durango. So close to Cortez, yet after these six hours, now many lifetimes away as we wandered in silence past the antique train Anne had once ridden up into the Rockies.
0175 Train-ing
John & Anne Wiley 
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