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THE LAND WHERE TIME STANDS STILL: THE PEOPLE |
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The Navajo and probably always will. But though they do so in a relatively unsophisticated way -- and that is in keeping with the notion that the Navajo, like the valley itself, will never change -- the innocence of the People and their land could be threatened by uncaring throngs of tourists --or hordes of vandals. Each year, the number of visitors increases. Many of them are from abroad. It's as if they feel that a trip here will touch the very heart of America. Goulding's took 41,000 of its guests on tour of the sun-baked land in the year 2000 and its tour numbers are dwarfed by those arranged by the Navajo Nation itself. The most successful tour operator is said to be Bennett's Tours and by some chance we are actually scheduled to have the tour operator himself, Tom Bennett, show us his land tomorrow. |
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| GUIDED TOUR The next morning, we're up early to catch the sun burst into the skies from beyond Brigham's Tomb Butte. A huge cowboy's breakfast follows, and then we are off to see this land where time stands still. Tom Bennett, our Navejo driver guide knows the valley well. He knows its legends, its moods, and more importantly -- its roads -- if that description could possibly fit the red dirt trails that lead through the area |
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We bounce along from pothole to pothole, from rock to rock, protecting our cameras from the swirling dust. We splash through a muddy ford at Sand Springs. The thirsty sheep being watered there ignore us. Finally, we regain a rocky track good enough for goats.
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