Jim and I were up very early this morning to catch a guided tour of Monument Valley Tribal Park that lasted 3.5 hours. Our guide was Tim, a Navajo Indian Guide. He was very informative and took us into what is called "the back country" where one cannot go without a special permit. The roads we traveled were not paved and most not even gravel...just dirt and sand (and mud in places). There were 12 in our tour group, a friendly bunch. Most of the group are also camping here while one couple got on at the lodge. We visited a few sites that had Hogans, dwellings that date back to the 1700s and are still in use. There are two kinds of Hogans, a male and a female. In addition to them having different shapes, the female hogan is supported by 9 major log braces to represent 9 months of pregnancy....interesting! The first 3 pictures are of the female hogan and the next 2 are the male hogan. The entrance to each faces the east toward the rising sun. Traditional Navajo still live without electricity or running water. There are about 300 Navajo who live year round in Monument Valley.
