Monument Valley, AZ

Well, this morning was the first time we didn't have our lattes!! We went down for the breakfast that was included with our room and found that you could hardly move through the buffet lines. So, we made a quick decision to go to Denny's and then got on the road without our lattes. Maybe that's why I was falling asleep in the car on the way to Monument Valley...

The drive was beautiful - it's astounding how many landscape changes there are as we change altitude. First we are in high mountain meadows, then in valleys and canyons surrounded by rock faces. Dave and I both thought that Monument Valley was just an area we passed through on our way to Bluff, UT. But we talked to a couple from Lubbock, TX, last night in Page and they mentioned going on the tour. As we found out, Monument Valley is a Tribal Park, so the concessions and tours are run by the Navajo tribe. We decided to take the 2.5 hour tour that included the back country. Had a couple of obstacles to overcome when we found they only took cash or travelers checks (does anyone use those anymore??). We were referred to the ATM machine at the trading post, which turned out to be out of order.

So, we had to leave the park and go across the street to Goulding's Trading Post and Grocery to get some cash. But that was okay - we bought some fruit for lunch while we were there.

Back at the park, we paid for our tour, and waited to see how many others were going to be joining us. They take you out in a truck that was modified with 3 bench seats in the back and covered to protect you from the sun. Turned out that we were the only ones on the tour! Our guide, Carlos, was the son of the owner, and he had lived nearby on the reservation for most of his life. He was a great guide! He pointed out all the places where films had been made. Lots of John Wayne movies, and some other movies like "Back to the Future III", "Eiger Sanction", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to name a few.

It is otherworldly in the valley - large rock spires intermingled with the mesas. We learned the difference between a butte and a mesa today. In the picture below the formations in the foreground are buttes, while the large "table like" formations behind them are mesas. Mesas usually have vegetation on top of them, and buttes don't. The spires would be considered buttes.

We also got to visit a Navajo home and see his grandmother preparing wool for her weaving. She couldn't speak English, but he could talk to her in Navajo. She was very old. Carlos told us that they weren't sure how old but probably close to 100 if not over! I felt privileged to be in her presence. Toward the end of the tour, Carlos shared a Navajo pray with us that is said at sunrise. It was about standing with beauty in front, behind, above, and below, and thanking Father Sky and Mother Earth for this day. It was lovely and hearing it in Navajo language was very special.