Grand Canyon and Cameron Trading Post

When I was in Flagstaff last week my friend and I took a side trip to the Grand Canyon, including a stay at the beautiful and historic Cameron Trading Post. 

The colors of the canyon and its sheer size are breathtaking. In the top photo, the Colorado River is visible one mile below where we were standing on the South Rim.

A raven posed for me, 

most likely hoping I would feed him.

We tried to go up into the Desert View Watchtower, but it was closed due to employee sickness. But the gift shop was open and we spotted one of Don's books for sale, so I had him pose beside it. 

"Where the Sky Touched the Earth: The Cosmological Landscapes of the Southwest," is a  collection of literary nature essays exploring our connection to the universe. Amazon's review: "With the personal, poetic style of the very best literary nature writing, Don Lago explores how these landscapes have offered humans a deeper sense of connection with the universe. While most nature writing never leaves the ground, Lago is one of the few writers who has applied it to the universe, seeking ties between humans and the astronomical forces that gave us birth." 

I highly recommend it! He's written many other books, including a variety about the Grand Canyon.

We did a little hike in the forested area back away from the rim. It was a clear, beautiful day.

Next stop was the historic Cameron Trading Post and Hotel, constructed by Hopi stone smiths of sandstone, complete with dinosaur footprints in some of the rocks. Can you spot them to the right of my feet?

Here's another stone with swirling designs.

Lush gardens and fountains beckoned, and I took photos while Don read in the shade.

The masterful stonework continues inside with this massive fireplace in the restaurant. 

Views from the restaurant are breathtaking, and the inside is filled with spectacular Navajo rugs.

This 9-by-12-foot Storm Pattern rug was made especially for the trading post by Elsie Glander, a Navajo weaver who demonstrated her craft for more than 25 years in the post's rug room before passing away in 2020. 

The Storm Pattern, according to "A Guide to Navajo Rugs" by Susan Lamb, contains the Navajo symbolism for a storm. In the middle is a rectangle representing the center of the universe. Four rectangles in the corners stand for the homes of the four winds, or by some interpretations the four sacred mountains of the Navajo world. Zigzag lightning connects the corners with the center.

This is Vivian Descheny, the current master weaver in the rug room. She gets her wool from her own sheep and cards, spins, dyes and weaves it into award-winning works of art. Here is some of her wool that she has colored with natural dyes. The colors are so soft and remind me of the colors of the canyon.

Vivian dyed this orange ball of yarn with wild carrots.

The room is filled with rugs

in spectacular patterns and colors.

I picked up these little guides to Navajo rugs and Hopi katsinas, but I resisted the hundreds of pieces of Native jewelry. Maybe on another trip I'll succumb.

Even more rugs are in the Cameron's Gallery, where we met Merlin. He was a font of information about Native American rugs, pottery and other art, and we chatted with him a good while.

These two photos show even more sandstone work, this time on the gallery building.

The views from our room were spectacular. 

Sunset ...

... the Painted Desert ...

... the Little Colorado River Gorge.

And no blog post is complete without food, so here is my lunch the last day, Navajo fry bread topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate and raspberry sauce! I believe that covers the most important food groups.

Have a colorful day