West of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is Havasu Canyon, part of the Havasupai (people of the blue-green water) Reservation. We drove 60 miles on a desolate road through the Hualapai (people of the tall pine) and Havasupai Reservation land used for cattle grazing to the parking lot at Hualapai Hilltop. From there we descended 1 1/2 miles to the canyon floor and then 6 1/2 miles to Supai Village where the first language of the approximately 500 people is a dialect of the Hokan, or Pai, languages. Two miles past the village, just before a campground (we stayed overnight in the Havasupai Lodge in the village), we were rewarded by the sight of a series of waterfalls. The water contains travertine, a blue-green mineral, which precipitates to the stream bed. After refreshing dips in the pools beneath Havasu Falls, we returned up the hill to the village. We began our walk back through the canyon and up to Hualapai Hilltop at 5:15 the next morning, arriving at the top by 9 a.m., with the entire trek in the shade--a wise choice!

The Havasupai receive all supplies by horse, mule, or helicopter. Theirs is the last U.S. Post Office to send its mail via mule.