There are many ways to see Canyon de Chelly. You can hike. You can ride a horse. You can brave the Thunderbird Lodge's modified Unimog known locally as the "Shake and Bake."
But if you are a person who enjoys the creature comforts, there is really only one way to see Canyon de Chelly, and that is in a skillfully driven four-wheel-drive.
Last weekend, 130 people in 48 Jeeps discovered the canyon through their joyfully mud-splattered windshields. It was the 20th anniversary of the annual Canyon de Chelly Jeep Jamboree.
The expedition is one of 30 Jeep Jamborees held annually around the country by Jeep Jamboree USA, a company devoted to, as jamboree coordinator Joelle Miller put it, "turning Jeep owners into Jeepers."
You'd be surprised, Miller said, how many people buy a Jeep and never get around to taking it off the pavement. Four-wheel-driving takes a lot of skill, and there's no way to learn it but by doing it.
A Jeep Jamboree provides a non-threatening way to do just that. Experienced four-wheelers can sign on as "trail guides" to share their skills and novices can test themselves in an environment with plenty of backup.
"You get to know your vehicle, some beautiful areas of the country and a lot of nice people," said Don McMillan, one of the trail guides for the Canyon de Chelly trip.
"I've honestly never been in a group where people are so willing to help each other," said Sherene Kelly, Miller's sister and a first-time jamboree participant. "If someone forgot a tool, everyone's like, 'Here, use mine.'"
