Magical History Tour
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly National Monument announces the “Magical History Tour” available March 1 through October 31, 2009. The two-night package offers a way for visitors to learn about this magical canyon’s 2,000 years of human existence and to take in the canyon’s incredible landscape.
The “Magical History Tour” two nights lodging at the historic Thunderbird Lodge, continental breakfast for two each morning, a canyon tour for two, a copy of a DVD called “Canyon de Chelly: American History, Heritage and Tradition” and a 10 percent discount in the gift shop. Choose either a full-day or half-day tour. The package cost including the full-day tour is $415, cost with the half-day tour is $363. Rates are for two people based on double occupancy.
Tours are led by knowledgeable Navajo guides driving six-wheel drive vehicles. Half-day tours take visitors into the lower halves of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto, the two canyons which comprise Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
The full-day tour travels a 60-mile route through Canyon del Muerto to Mummy Cave and through Canyon de Chelly to Spider Rock. The tours stop frequently so guides can provide details of the canyon’s fascinating history and point out prehistoric dwelling sites as well as petroglyphs and pictographs etched and painted onto rocks throughout the park.
One of the most sobering stops on the full-day tour is at the Massacre Cave Overlook. The cave received its name after more than 105 Navajos were killed at the site in an all-day battle to defend their land from encroaching Spanish settlers.
Located on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly is jointly operated by the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service. The monument is home to about 80 Navajo families who continue to live and farm in the canyon. With the exception of only one hiking trail, Visitors to the monument are permitted into the canyon only in the company of an authorized Navajo guide with the exception of one hiking trail.
Thunderbird Lodge provides group tours and is the only lodging facility within Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The lodge is located on the site of a trading post built around the turn of the 20th century.
When You Go: Thunderbird Lodge is open year-round. The “Magical History Tour” is available March 1 through October 31, 2009.
Since it was the last day of January it was time to get in gear with the resolution. With the forecast of a warm sunny day we headed to Roxborough State Park south of Denver.
Passes allow unlimited access to all 42 
The paved Mary Carter Greenway Trail was busy with bicyclists, in-line skaters and walkers. The trail is part of the South Platte River Trail that covers 28.05 miles from Chatfield Dam to 104th Avenue in Northglenn and links to a half dozen urban trails that criss cross the Metro Area. Four miles of natural surface trails lead to lakes and a wildlife viewing blind. Five lakes and the 2.5-mile stretch of the river are open to fishing. There’s limited access to two other lakes within the park that provide water storage and wildlife habitat.
Exhibits and live animals in the Carson Nature Center provide a good orientation for budding naturalists. The water table room attracts all ages. A river channel flows through the sandy “ground,” visitors can place rocks, block houses and scrubs along the banks and watch the affects of flood waters. Some of us are old enough to remember the 1965 devastating flood along the South Platte. Rental “Explorer Packs” filled with supplies and activities are a fun way to add discovery and learning to a park visit.
Our first day in Jupiter usually finds us at Schooner’s Restaurant for a late lunch. The casual, relaxed atmosphere proves to be a necessary respite after several hours at Mother’s assisted living facility. The patio beckons us to sit back and enjoy an icy drink while lunch is prepared.
Service is almost always friendly and attentive. During our last visit on Martin Luther King Day they were obviously slammed but the staff worked together to get everyone served and keep drinks refreshed. Our only complaint over the years has been that they don’t automatically serve a roll, crackers or bread with our favorite salad. We’ve learned to ask for a roll when we order and the request is always met.
Mother is 97-years-old, blind, in a wheelchair and living in an assisted living facility. Her condo, where we stay during our visits, is a 45-60 minute drive from the ALF. The most direct route, I95, tests the sanest and safest of drivers. Driving the middle lane at 10 miles over the speed limit creates speedways on either side of you as cars and semis zip by in a blur of motion and noise. Add to the mix a newly arrived senior fearful of any speed over 40 mph. We sense it’s almost a daily death defying act to approach the on ramp.
Where To Go - Travel USA 