Blogs from Valley of the Gods, Utah, United States, North America

September 30, 2014 Again because there is little choice for rooms or food we ended up having dinner and breakfast at the San Juan Trading Post Restaurant adjacent to the inn where we stayed. The people were very nice but the food was either bland or over salted. I had a tasteless veggie burger with iceberg lettuce and tiny sprinkles of carrot shreds and cheese with a bad dressing. I also had a cup of beef and vegetable soup that at least was homemade but it was way too salty. My husband had beef stew with Indian fry bread that was not remarkable in any way. I know there are very few options in this area and we only tried this one place but if anyone had a restaurant with good food in this region they ... read more

September 28, 2014 Early next morning we took the advice on the website (it is hard to contact this place by phone) and with a detailed road map (not GPS) drove north from Farmington, NM to find Hovenweep National Monument, located in Utah and Colorado just north of Four Corners. It took us a bit over two hours including asking for directions along the way. This is another ancestral ruin of the Puebloans from about 500 - 1300 AD but there are traces of the nomadic Paleoindians passing through here over 10,000 years ago. The people who lived in Hovenweep were hunter gatherers, farmers and basket weavers but were also advanced builders. Their masonry dwellings and pottery styles resembled the workmanship of the Pueblo people in Mesa Verde and other nearby sites suggesting they traded with ... read more

This morning, Alan and I drive south of Bluff to a dirt road that leads into the Valley of the Gods. This “mini” Monument Valley, without the crowds, offers close-up views of spires and rock formations that back up to Cedar Mesa. The dirt road winds for 17 miles without any vendors, tour buses or crowds of tourists snapping pictures. For the most part, we have the road to ourselves. We stop at every photographable spot, taking our time to compose the perfect shot. It’s so quiet that we can hear the leaves of the cottonwood trees shiver in the light breeze that blows across the valley. Although there are no official hiking trails, there are plenty of areas to roam and explore. Later, we learn that due to its sacredness to Native Americans, the valley ... read more