Ethnic Heritage Days | Grand Canyon

 

While I was at the Grand Canyon, I was lucky enough to be able to see some of the ethnic Heritage Days, which included representatives from different tribes in the area, including Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Paiute.

　

 

There was a Navajo Indian doing glass blowing. He set up with the furnace and kiln and went through the entire procedure to make a glass.

 

　

Another man was crafting drums out of hollowed out tree sections, with animal skin tops.

 

　

 

There was a table full of native foods, ground corn and other food related items. I was amazed at the selection of local corn that is still being grown and used. The woman told me that the red corn makes such a pretty pink flour.

 

　

 

There were quite a few Kachina dolls on display, from different tribes. A Kachina is a "spirit being" in the Indian culture.

 

　

 

These were interesting, they are carved from sections of trees. When I asked him what it meant, he told me that it was weather - the arrows are lightning and the other three sections represent clouds. 

 

　

 

There was basket weaving, the first one shows how they are started.

 

　

There was a Hopi man doing silver jewelry, which was very nice. 

 

My favorite at the pottery table was a large bowl with very fine details, all hand painted. It was quite large, probably a foot across.

The inside of the bowl represents clouds in the 9 squares on the bottom, with lines showing rain. Obviously, rain was very important to them. 

 

I was really impressed with this little white bowl with dragonflies on the sides. The little squiggly things inside and outside are fish.

Indians have always been known for their beadwork. This gourd was quite big, probably at least a foot across. This beadwork could be used for decoration, and some women wear them as a collar on a dress.

 

It was a small show, but it certainly packed a good selection showcasing their history and what we think of as crafts, but it was all utilitarian for them.

 

Forest Fires | Grand Canyon | north rim | Arizona

Controlled burns in forests are often necessary to consume the accumulated debris from trees, which sometimes reduces wildfires.

In 2006 thousands of acres of Ponderosa pines burned near the road leading to the Grand Canyon, 2% of the area was hot enough to kill pine stands. 

 Since Aspen trees grow from roots, unlike most trees, they will get more sun after these burns and will produce more trees. There are hundreds of small Aspen growing in the area of this burn. When they get tall enough, they may provide shade for conifers to grow. 

 

There was a recent large burn near the north rim of the Grand Canyon, reported to have been started by lightning, as it had been in monsoon season. Over 14,000 acres were involved and fire crews tended to the fire, but allowed it to burn in controlled areas. I'm hoping that the controlled and managed burns lessen the impact on the animals in the area.

 

　

 

 

Shortly after the area in the Grand Canyon was opened to tourists again, I drove one of the roads that was quite involved. I could actually smell the burned area and noticed that small portions of the road had been scorched.

This is one way of getting rid of accumulated debris in forest.  These will be burned during the dry season.

This last photo shows how they thin out trees that have grown too close together, they leave the taller, healthier trees.  This tree cutting also adds to the piles that will be burned in the future.

 

This photo shows Aspens with pine trees in the background.

I have noticed that Aspens grow sometimes in tight groupings, as shown above and in the photo below.  I imagine the reason is that they grow from their roots, rather than seeds.

Grand Canyon | North Rim | Arizona

Grand Canyon is magnificent. The North Rim is very different from the South Rim, where most people visit. The South Rim has lots of people, shuttles to take them along the main road so they can get off at numerous stops to view the canyon. The North Rim has the main area where the lodge and visitor center is, as well as the campground as well as other facilities. In order to see any more of the canyon, there is a road that branches off in two different directions with multiple parking areas to see more views.
 
A very interesting spot on the way to Imperial Point - from a distance you can see a rock outcropping that has a window in it.

As you get closer, you can see a large hole in the rock wall. Through this vaguely triangular shaped hole, you can see part of the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon.

When you get to this rock outcropping, there is a walkway to view into the Canyon. It gives you a bit of a funny feeling knowing that part of this walkway is a bridge over that hole. But, the views are great.

There is not much traffic on either of these roads, and it's a slow trip since there are winding roads and lots of dropoffs.

 This little guy was right in the middle of tourists, probably eating someone's leftovers.

And then there were bigger critters - bison!

 

One short hike promised to take me to a little log cabin that was used as a salt house left over from the early 20th century.

What I found looked like it could have been that little cabin, but it had been encased in protective foil, since there was a recent forest fire. Looks like it might have been interesting.



And then there is more scenery.....

Boondocking | National Forest Service | Arizona

The photo above shows how the Forest Service gets ready for a burn.  I don't know if this entire area will be a controlled burn, or if they are just clearing the area of deadfall.  I have been helping in my own little way by gathering wood for campfires while I'm here.

I have been boondocking in the National Forest near Jacob Lake, Arizona for the past week.  I found this site on a website called freecampsites.net.  The site I am camp at is just about 1 mile from the main road road headed to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  There are many others in the area along Forest Road 461, but this one was the easiest to get to.

The photo above shows Jacob Lake.  I was expecting something more picturesque since the area is named for this lake.  It is totally fenced in and there are signs that say no trespassing.

This is the restored original Forest Ranger post from the early 1900s.  Unfortunately I never got to see the inside since it was always closed.

When I first got here it rained for about 4 days.  I did find out you can see a rainbow in the middle of a forest, as you can see below.

I have been told by another camper that there is a resident hawk flying around, but I have not seen it. I've been trying to get a good picture of the local squirrel.  This squirrel is only seen in this area of the north rim of the Grand Canyon and he's very distinctive since he has a big fluffy white tail.

I am so glad that campers share the good camping areas they find so that others can enjoy them.  And, it's great to have the technology to be able to share this information on a large scale.

Pipe Springs National Monument | Fredonia, Utah

Pipe Springs National Monument is located on the Paiute Kaibab Indian Reservation about 16 miles from Kanab, Utah.

When the Mormon settlers moved west, they settled in this area because of the springs.  They would have water for their crops and their livestock, so they built this fort since it was in the middle of Indian territory.

They did have multiple wives at this location so they figured the stone fort would be a refuge for everyone.

The Indians, of course, were upset because the water was being diverted from their crops and their livestock.  They did manage to stay in the area although many of the historic pit houses and kivas belonging to their ancestors were destroyed.

This National Monument shows life as it was back in the late 1800s after Mormons arrived.