Mom and Dad Crane on the Rez Again

The first weekend of May my parents came out to the Rez for another visit. We sometimes get disappointed that we haven't had a lot of outside visitors over the years, but we understand it takes a lot of time and money to make the trip. After you get the flight into Albuquerque, the closest major airport, you still have at least a 3.5 hour drive ahead of you. So we really appreciate their efforts and cherish their visits to this neck of the woods, or desert.

There are many places to see, but their favorite is Canyon de Chelly in our backyard. We once again did the three mile round trip White House Trail. They get better at it every time! The canyon is a special place of geology, culture, and history. There are hundreds of Anasazi ruins and rock art panels. Navajos still live at camps and ranches in the canyon, and the beauty of it is breathtaking. It is a National Monument, but entry is free to the overlooks and the trail unless you want to drive through the canyon, then you need to hire a guide and have a darn good four-wheel drive.

That weekend Tracy and I also ran in the Shiprock Half Marathon again. Tracy won a first place award for her age group, and I bettered my time by a lot, but the 30 year-old age group is too tough for a mountain biker pseudo runner like myself to place in the top three.

Mom and Dad above Spider Rock

Photo-op along the trail