Navajo Lake (& Dam) State Park

Dale and I left Bluewater on the first of May and drove north toward Navajo Lake. The trip was about 150 miles, but we decided to split it into two days. We took Highway 371 to Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness, where we found an overnight parking lot. We hiked out through the hoodoos, exploring the interesting scenery. There were lots of photographers and hikers car-camped beside us, but we had a quiet night.

The next morning, we drove on to Navajo Dam and into the campground. There were very few primitive (non electric/water) sites, so we took a couple sites with hookups. It’s been a luxury that we have really appreciated since we’ve had some very chilly temps and a couple of nasty rainy days, so the electric furnace has felt mighty good.

Dale and I wanted to visit Chaco Culture National Historic Park, but reports of the terrible road to the site have scared us off. Instead, we satisfied our curiosity with a tour of Aztec Ruins National Monument. This well preserved ancient settlement was built and inhabited by ancestral Pueblo people about 900 years ago. Much of the village remains, and the largest “Great Kiva” (ceremonial building) has been fully restored and represents an important central sanctuary, which the native tribes believe are still inhabited by the spirits of their ancestors.

We killed a lot of time plus three trips to theVerizon store in Farmington trying to switch my carrier from AT&T. After finally jumping through a bunch of hoops, we discovered my iPhone 7+ is not compatible with Verizon. Since I’m not ready to buy a new phone this spring, I will stick with the plan I have for now.

Otherwise, we have filled our days with walks to the lake, hikes up the hill to the closed campgrounds above ours, and lots of reading and TV. It’s been a relaxing week and a half here where Mom and Dad spent so many wonderful summers in their retirement years. I can see why they loved it so much. It’s a great area.

On Monday, we will pack up and move to Heron Lake State Park. Dale has predicted I will love the campground (with the possible exception of spotty cell signal), so I’m anxious and ready to move over there for a week or so.