Betatakin cliff dwellings, Black Mesa mine site..

Sep 1, 2012

Flying from Kayenta, Arizona.

Flew up the canyon Looking for the Betatakin cliff dwellings.

Finally found the them, but they were in deep shade and deep in a gully, 
so couldn't get a good photo.

It was good to see the Navajos still doing traditional agriculture wherever possible.

This is a shepherd with his flock of sheep.  Note the corral in the alcove in the cliff.  
Couldn't get lower cause the noisy aircraft was frightening his sheep....

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Then over the nearby Peabody coal mine site on Black Mesa, just to the SW of Kayenta.
Most of it abandoned now.
It used to be the largest strip mine in the USA, and supplied a large power station hundreds of miles away at Laughlin, Nevada, by sending the coal down a pipeline in a water slurry.  But a big controversy arose when it was realized that the vast quantity of water being used was depleting the aquifer and local springs were drying up.  Also the power station was found to be the most polluting in the USA, and the fumes were blowing right over the Grand Canyon.  But it does look like they've done a pretty good job of rehabilitating the old diggings in the background.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_Peabody_Coal_controversy




Now only a small portion of the mine is active, supplying the Navajo Generating Station at Page by rail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_and_Lake_Powell_Railroad

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These colorful roofs are part of Kayenta. 

 A nice change from the standard dark colored roofs on most American houses.

Many roofs in this Navajo country have old tires on them.

And it's not just for the weight to hold the iron down.

There are very high winds here at times, and the tires act like spoilers on an aircraft wing and reduce the lift.  

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Later in the day moved to Page because the internet indicated that there was a rodeo this Labour Day weekend.
More spectacular rock formations along the road everywhere.  Grand country!
Parked the trailer at the airfield for the night.
It's a formal, busy airfield, no chance of camping there...
Disappointed to find out there is no rodeo, just horsey events.........
Heavy thunderstorms moving thro, but short ones.
Parked on top of sandy hill right in town.
Drank cold beer for a change, and listened to Prairie Home Companion, on National Public Radio.
I don't have refrigeration in the truck, so I'm used to drinking warm beer in the desert.....