Hopi Reservation

Painted Desert near Winslow, Arizona

If today’s route is leaving Winslow and our first destination is the Hopi Reservation, then you should know that you’ll be passing right through the Painted Desert.

Hopi Reservation in Arizona

The reason behind this drive north was to visit Kykotsmovi, Third Mesa, on the Hopi Reservation for a Kachina Dance. Photography of the event is not allowed, and it is requested that our interpretation of events not be conveyed either, so we abide by the Hopi requests so that we might be able to attend these dances for years to come.

Hopi Reservation in Arizona

The road to Kykotsmovi, Third Mesa, and one of the longest inhabited places in the United States.

Hopi Reservation in Arizona

After the dance, we had lunch at the Hopi Cultural Center and then visited the Arts and Crafts store of Tsakurshovi owned by Janice and Joseph Day near Shungopavi. My mother-in-law bought her granddaughter her first Kachina Doll and earrings for Caroline. We have been visiting Tsakurshovi for years after Duke and Sarah Kayduk of the Calf Canyon Bed & Breakfast in Bluff, Utah, recommended we visit them on Second Mesa.

Canyon De Chelly National Monument in Chinle, Arizona

We’re not done with our visit to northern Arizona and are spending the night in Chinle on the Navajo Reservation. This is Canyon De Chelly National Monument and tomorrow, we have a jeep tour down below.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Canyon De Chelly National Monument in Chinle, Arizona

A lot of planning, effort, and expense goes into these trips, and with Jutta’s visit this year lasting 65 days, we go far to ensure she leaves with a lifetime of memories and shirts she’ll wear for years to come. So, from historic, cultural, musical, artistic, natural, and moments spent with family, we know she’ll carry a ton of these experiences back to Germany with her.

Navajo Reservation in Arizona

Dinner and lodging were at the Thunderbird Lodge near the entrance to Canyon De Chelly.

No Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona

Standin on the Corner in Winslow Arizona

This is nearly all that remains of the “Standin’ on the Corner” mural in Winslow, Arizona. Made popular by the pop song from the Eagles, “Take it Easy,” Winslow created this mural, but on October 18, 2004, a fire gutted the old J.C. Penny / Rasco building that the wall belongs to. The wall is still standing with the help of supports; the area, though, is fenced off.

The night sky over Winslow, Arizona

We’re staying up here in Winslow tonight as we have some sightseeing to do tomorrow over on the Navajo Reservation.

Montezuma’s Castle to Meteor Crater

Jutta Engelhardt at Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

With Caroline back at work, Jutta and I took off for a day trip north. Our first stop was Montezuma’s Castle National Monument.

The cliff dwelling high on a sheer rock face known as Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

I stitched 14 images together to create a detailed look at the cliff dwelling. The image on my computer is 11,255 x 5,239 pixels in dimension. Tours are not offered of this fragile monument, so the best one can do to see more details is either bring binoculars or take a super hi-res photo.

The cliff dwelling high on a sheer rock face known as Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

So you can have a better sense of just where this precarious cliffside castle is situated.

Jutta Engelhardt in Leupp, Arizona

Without much of a plan, we continued north until reaching Leupp, where we stopped for lunch at a roadside stand selling mutton stew – a Navajo favorite.

Leupp, Arizona

Those snow-capped peaks on the left are next to Flagstaff, but that’s not the reason for the photo; my mother-in-law has rarely seen Navajo cowboys on her visits to America.

Donkeys near Leupp, Arizona

I guess they’re not totally wild donkeys, as I don’t think they’d approach us if they were.

Meteor Crater Natural Landmark in Winslow, Arizona

Our last stop on this impromptu journey was Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.

Desert Botanical Garden

Jutta Engelhardt at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Jutta and I visited the Desert Botanical Garden today in Phoenix, Arizona. At only 9:00 a.m., the temperature was already over 90, and the Garden was not overwhelmed with visitors. The Garden was far more beautiful than I imagined for this time of year. Many cacti are in bloom right now, including an incredibly large flower blooming on the Echinopsis Cactus.

A fierce looking bug staring me down from inside a flower of a Barrel Cactus at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

The photo above, though, is from the Barrel Cactus, whose bloom had this fierce-looking monster of a bug staring me down before it leaped 20 feet or more and attacked my mother-in-law with savage brutality, leaving her wrinkled and a bit stooped over.

A squirrel at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Through the carnage, my mother-in-law still enjoyed the dangers the Botanical Garden had to offer; tomorrow, I’ll post information regarding her near-fatal encounter with “THORNS”!

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Attention: all of the photos in this post were updated in 2023, while only the image with a bug was in the original post. The text above this is the original that was written back in 2005 while this part of the post is part of the 2023 update.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

I’ve added the extra images to better represent the day.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

And other than that, have nothing else to add to the memories of that day.

MyPublisher

A screenshot of Mypublisher.com which we just ordered a 12x16 inch deluxe photo book from

After much toiling, the order for a 12×16 inch Deluxe Photo Book was ordered this evening from MyPublisher.com. We whittled the more than 4500 photos taken over three vacations during 2000, 2003, and 2005 down to 130. These photos had to be color-corrected, resized and laid out. We are presenting the book to my mother-in-law’s granddaughter Katharina about her grandma’s travels in America.

This is the first book we are printing with an online book publishing service. While the basic service is reasonable, we quickly surpassed the number of pages allowed and started adding many more, driving up the cost of the book. If the book turns out in good quality and we have it in time before my mother-in-law’s departure, then all will be well. I will post in-depth details regarding the entire process as soon as we see the results from MyPublisher.com.