A good night with Daisey. She actually woke me up telling me she had to go out. She came to me for her pills and ate all her food. I cooked us a small breakfast and did a few loads of laundry at the facilities. $3 a wash....WHAT!
So far the most I've paid was $1.25. Well I have no choice. I want to get my quilts washed and a few little rugs.
We are off to the Welcome Center and decided to drive the 17 mile tour in our car. This way we would be inside and maybe better for Johnny. But after just a little driving we decided to turn back. The roads are VERY bad and with our luck something would happen to our car and then what would we do. We went back to the restuarant for lunch and then John Wayne's cabin. It was used on some of the sets for some of the movies he made. They also have a cute museum with lots of info on the Navajo and the movies shot here. Did you know Back to the Future was filmed here? I didn't.
A little interesting story about a young man we talked with who worked in the restuarant. His name is Remington, after a famous artist. He is a server at the restaurant. I asked our server if all the kids around here spoke Navajo. Thinking they did, she answered no, only one who works here. He came over to us and proceeded to tell us a large group of the kids living here are in gangs, but that wasn't the path he wanted to take. He just graduated high school. He lives with his parents and grand parents and they continue to talk their language. He also explained to us his religion and how and where he goes with the elders to pray. They really go into tepees and sing and dance. He told us how their drums and staffs were made. Praying started on a Saturday night going into the next day. They talk out their concerns, problems and health issues. He explained about their Navajo names which he could not tell us. They are private only used for praying. He explained that when he
was born he almost died and everyone praying to the sun, sky, and fires for him to breath again and all their beliefs brought him back to life. I asked him if he had a talent for art and he said he did pencil drawings of the area. He said he loved to draw. His grandparents gave him their horses and sheep and he also loved to draw them. He planned to go to college unlike the other kids in gangs. He said his younger brothers would take care of his animals while he was away. I asked him what he planned to study and he said some commercial art and then he wanted to go to a trade school for welding. He really seemed to know what he wanted in life and it wasn't getting into drugs, alcohol or gangs here. He took the time to tell us about the Code Talkers during WW II and some of the words they used and their meanings. He even encouraged us to read the book The Code Talkers.
This is a view from our Camp Ground. Goulding's Camp Ground. Very nice. Very pretty surroundings. But VERY HOT, DRY and DUSTY!!!!
After lunch we decided to come back to the coach, take a nap and then walk the girls. We have relaxed the rest of the day and will be leaving in the morning working our way back home. Although it will take another week or so.
I'll let you know where we land tomorrow.........
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