Arizona Native Lands - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 481

''place of running water,'' and year-round springs do indeed keep the surrounding fields
green and the fruit trees productive.
The road climbs gradually away from Moenkopi and crosses the northeastern limits of
the Painted Desert—a dry and daunting realm that supports little more than tufts of grass,
resilient sagebrushes, and scrubby junipers. What makes the unbroken vistas truly special,
though, are the vivid colors of exposed sandstones and shales, banded with reds and pinks.
Foracomplete changeofscene,pauseatCoalmine Canyon,whichcanbereachedbya
short side trip. The access road exits at a windmill (there are no signs) and leads northward
to an overlook. Peering down into the chasm, you'll see black veins of coal—a resource
that has been tapped for centuries by native Americans. Before hiking Coalmine, get a per-
mit at the Cameron Visitors Center at the junction of Highways 64 and 89.
2. Third Mesa
Soon the desert and the highway meet the southern fringes of Black Mesa, an enormous
tableland that spreads across northeastern Arizona. Along its southern edge the giant form-
ation tapers into three fingerlike extensions: First, Second, and Third mesas. These lofty,
flat-topped areas have long been inhabitated by the Hopis, who survive by irrigating the
land below, planting fields of corn, beans, and squash.
Passing through a canyon, Rte. 264 climbs from the desert floor to the crest of Third
Mesa. Of special note at the top is Old Oraibi: Dating all the way back to 1150, it is said
to be America's oldest continuously inhabited village. A patchwork of stone dwellings, the
settlement sits 650 feet above the desert floor.
3. Second Mesa
ProceedingonRte.264,thedrivecrossesOraibiWash(adrystreambed)andsmallplotsof
Hopi farmland, then ascends to the top of Second Mesa. The Hopi Cultural Center, located
at the eastern edge of the promontory, displays tribal artifacts, and its restaurant serves tra-
ditional Hopi fare.
Several small villages are clustered atop the mesa, where the views extend far across
the desert to distant buttes and peaks. This lonely place, according to Hopi legend, is the
Sacred Circle—the center of the universe.