Hollywood and Hooghans (5th day)

“The former things have taken place

And new things I declare”

Isa. 42:9

I have been meditating on this verse this summer and it came to mind again this morning as we head west to new adventures.  We are currently 142 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona, at an elevation of 5872 feet (home is 500 feet above sea level).  I am passing the 8 sided hooghans on the right and the left, but I am getting ahead of myself...

Two nights ago we stayed at a KOA outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It was an urban campground at the base of the Sandía mountain range.  We never expected to spend the evening with a touch of Hollywood.

Our peaceful swim alone at the pool became a memorable social event with the addition of another family.  Natalie and her two kids, Josh (12) and Chloe (5?), joined us from Los Angeles, California.  They were in Albuquerque visiting their husband/dad while he is working on a new movie, The Lone Ranger (with Johnny Depp).  He is a set designer who often travels with his work.  I will certainly not look at the curtains in the train scene the same after talking with his wife.  Natalie is embarrassed to say, that her husband is a better seamstress than she is.  Luke comforted her by noting that every time he tries to sew with our machine, the thread breaks.  Her husband also did the sets for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3.

The next morning (Tuesday, July 3rd) we had a leisurely drive to Gallup, New Mexico.  We pulled into  a small church in what is called Little Mexico.  John Thumma is a pastor in Gallup as well as in a community within the Navajo Nation, 18 miles to the North West.  We made arrangements to stay in the church parking lot after our school did a fundraiser for John’s ministry in March.  We were so glad that we did!

Nate, Luke, Gabe and I piled into the church van for a guided tour of the largest reservation in the US.  The Navajo Nation is the size of  West Virginia.  Pastor John’s description of this area could be summed up by saying: “It’s complicated”.  Sifting through all the details led us to a watered-down understanding of this Nation within a Nation.

There are three Navajo Reservations in the state of New Mexico and reaching beyond to Arizona and the north.  The land is concentric in nature.  The two inner “circles” belonging strictly to the tribe while the outer layer is called a checkerboard.  Each square mile is owned by 1 of 3 groups in an alternating fashion: the US government, Anglo landowners, and Navajo individuals.

We travelled to the Navajo church which holds services in the Navajo language with a translator.  90% of the population speaks Navajo in this area.  We lost Gabe while exploring the church area.  We found him up over a hill chasing birds with his camera.  The sighting of a mountain bluebird was his reward for his diligence.

Pastor John took us to land covered with prairie dogs.  We were amazed at how hard it was for us to see them till we got our “desert eyes” on.  We also saw goats, sheep, cattle, horses, alpacas and the interesting homes with 8 sides called hooghans.  Nathan has Native American roots on his mother’s side and her maiden name of “Hogan” took on new significance for us.

Nathan would say that the highlight of our Navajo tour was the visit to the Navajo capital of Window Rock.  Named after the natural wonder which sits in front of the capital building, Window Rock is the location of everything from the Navajo Attorney General to the president’s office.  A statue commemorating the code talkers of WWII sits in front of the enormous red land formation with the window.  The Navajo take pride in their participation in the US military even before they were given the right to vote.  One of the original 29 code talkers was a member of John’s church until he died in 2010.

Luke found this area particularly disappointing. The red rock was calling to him and he was not allowed to climb it without a permit.

In the evening we returned to Little Mexico to settle in for the night.  Elizabeth, the church youth pastor, joined us for dinner and we enjoyed her company until the lights went out in our home away from home.