Monument Valley

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It was a relatively short drive from Chinle to Monument Valley. As we entered the area, the numerous buttes and mesas began to exert their influence on us. While we have seen these enormous and powerful shapes all through our lives in various John Ford films, it is another matter to have them there in front of you. The various shapes loom and brood, changing from minute to minute with the passage of the sun across the sky, but always huge and solid.

Monument Valley is also in the Navajo Reservation, and is operated by the Navajo Nation as a Tribal Park. The campsite is "primitive" (no water or any kind of hook-ups for RVs), but that suited us just fine. We were told to select any spot in the campground that we liked. Any place would have been perfect, but since we were among the first ones there, we picked a site practically on the Valley floor. It was a windy day, and as we were setting up our tent, a powerful gust blew our ridgepole apart. The hinges I installed back in Virginia had held up until now, but they completely disintegrated. No worries, the forecast was for clear skies and moderate temperatures, so we decided to enjoy sleeping under the stars.

After we set up camp (such as it was), Andrew and I decided to sign up for a two-hour guided horseback tour to coincide with sunset. Alec opted to stay in camp to photograph the light of the setting sun on the rocks. For Andrew and I, it was an almost ecstatic experience. Our guide told us we were riding on some of the same trails that John Wayne and his cavalry troop used in the movies. As we rode further into the Valley, we were able to see still more fantastic shapes in stone. As our guide became comfortable with our riding skills, he led us on several exciting lopes over the landscape. We knew our "riding muscles" would be sore for days to come, but it was well worth it to experience this place on horseback, watching the light change and the colors bloom on the rockfaces.

Meanwhile, Alec was taking a truly remarkable set of photographs, capturing one wonderful image after another. I can begin to include all of them here, but hope there is enough to give you an idea. After a good camp supper, we bedded down for the night. The sky defied belief in the clarity and multiplicity of the stars. I woke at one point to see the waning crescent moon rising over the "mittens." Later, as dawn approached, the entire eastern half of the horizon lit up pink, as the buttes were silhouetted against the gathering light.

I think it is safe to say that this was one of the most memorable places we have visited so far. After cooking our breakfast, we left Monument Valley and the Navajos to head north into Colorado, where we would visit the largest and most spectacular of the many cliff dwellings, Mesa Verde.

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Comments

[justin]

wow
Stunning stuff. Very jealous. Sad news from Chicago: The coffee shop we went to the morning you left has completely abandoned whatever that brewing process was and are using the Chemex system. Coffee is still good, but not nearly as odd. They must have changed their system within a few days of our visit.