Happy Thanksgiving from Arizona

Native American Corn from Hopi Mesas

The attached videos are a rarely photographed glimpse into modern Hopi ceremonies. Last September, I had the honor of attending the 1st Annual Hopi Days at the Hopi Cultural Center. Thanksgiving seems like the perfect time to give thanks to the people who settled this part of the country thousands of years ago, and their descendants who live here today on the Hopi Mesas. Hopi Indians outlawed photography in 1949 and only rarely allow videos, or photography. You're gonna love the "little ones" dancing with the buffalo headdresses.

Happy Thanksgiving from Arizona!

Hopi Katsina Dolls
hand crafted from cottonwood root

Happy Western Thanksgiving from J.R. & Ko'ko!
My Brother Jerry is missed every day.

Arizona Dinosaur Tracks

While it's not possible to see a real T-Rex while touring around Arizona, you might just get to stand in the tracks of dozens of dinosaurs on your way to Monument Valley. It's not at a fancy museum, but will definitely impress you with hundreds of dinosaur tracks. It's our Monument Valley Tour, and the Navajo Indians who run the sight will ask for $5 to take you on a tour across their land covered with dinosaur tracks... including a print from a T-Rex.

Dinosaur Track with quarter
for size comparison

Redstone Tours

Monument Valley

J.R. Ralston
Tour Guide

Wupatki Indian Ruins at Sunset

Yesterday's Grand Canyon Tour

brought us home through Wupatki

Indian ruins right at sunset.

We captured some excellent

colors of the painted desert.

Photos by Beverly Zimmerman Walther, Photographer

Great Photographer on our Monument Valley Tour This Week... 

Beverly Zimmerman Walther

She took a few horses wandering around the Jackson family home near John Ford Point and managed to capture a moment.

The old stagecoach near John Wayne's cabin outside Goulding's Lodge never looked better.

Congrats on photos well taken Beverly.

John Ford Point
as seen on Disney's Lone Ranger
Opens July 3, 2013

Monument Valley is featured in

the upcoming Movie with

Johnny Depp & Army Hammer

"The Lone Ranger"

Look for J.r. Ralston on Facebook

If you had a fun Tour with me...
Please write a review on TripAdvisor.com
under Redstone Tours.

or... My Arizona Favorites
or on Facebook as "Arizona Highwayman."

Hoofbeats & Coal on Monument Valley Trip

Conveyor Belt for Coal from the
Peabody Mine site to the silo
for loading the railroad.

On this journey to Monument Valley, after seeing the Navajo Nation Coal Train go by... we decided to visit the Peabody Coal Mine on Black Mesa. Also our trip stopped by Coal Mine Canyon near Tuba City, Arizona.

Diamond Resorts Executives Tour

Executive transport for the Diamond Resorts Team... a tour of Summit, Ridge, and Los Abrigados sites. followed by lunch at Taos.

An easy, low mileage day for me.

Coal Mine Canyon & Mormon Settlements

Coal Mine Canyon is located about 15 miles east of Tuba City, Arizona and is rarely seen by tourists on the Hopi Indian Reservation.

The Hopi Indians tell an interesting story related to the Mormon wagon trains coming west. It is said when Chief Tuuva of the Hopi met the first groups of these religious evacuees in 1858, he claimed the grandfathers had long awaited the return of their "Moon-Eyed" white brothers. Tuuva assisted the immigrants to find their way back to sacred grounds of Leehi & Nephi (immigrants from Israel to North America around 400 B.C.)

The Hopi assisted the Mormons, who at the time were malnourished and struggling from their journey. The Indians suggested boiling a type of sagebrush found in the area called ephedra viridisto create a tea to give them the energy to finish their trip to the lands now known as Utah. The plant contains ephedrine... known to increase heart rates and expand bronchial passages... Results of this tea would have compared to a great cup of Starbucks coffee.

 to create a tea to give them the energy to finish their trip to the lands now known as Utah. The plant contains ephedrine... known to increase heart rates and expand bronchial passages... Results of this tea would have compared to a great cup of Starbucks coffee.

Fall Colors of Oak Creek Canyon

from CBS Morning News

November 4, 2012