Next Stop Monument Valley

If its Tuesday it must be Monument Valley! I know that because that was our schedule and we are pretty good at keeping to schedules. We depart Canyon de Chelly and visit the local native coffee house just outside the park, its called Changing Woman. Wonderful coffee. The stuff in the park is right out of an earlier era of plain, simple and boring. The coffee shop was a good as our favorite local coffee places and was a good start to our day both in caffeine energy and as an attitude adjustment. It is only a couple hours to our destination in Monument Valley and we get there via a lesser used road recommended by a local road crew. We stop in Kayenta for rest rooms and ice cream and we catch a TV replay of the local girls high school basketball team wining their state finals. The whole area is still celebrating. They love basketball on the reservation.

Monument Valley is the exact opposite of Canyon de Chelly, instead of deep narrow canyons there are wide valleys with rock formations strewn around to great effect. We sign up for the ‘sunset’ tour which starts at 4 PM. We get to see remarkable mesas, spires, arches and rock formations that are named for their resemblance to birds, camels, dragons and various people. It’s a rocky road and its nice to have a local guide to provide information. Our guide had earlier in her life stayed up all night delivering newborn sheep. She knew the local residents of the hogans and could answer pretty much any question we had as she had been giving tours for 17 years. She told us stories and sang a Navaho lullaby. Our rooms at Gouldings Lodge have a fabulous view towards the east and the wide panorama of the valley. They have good internet service, an indoor pool and a decent restaurant which is ‘dry’ and appropriately so as alcohol has caused significant problems for the locals. We appreciate the comfort and wish we could stay longer. But tomorrow is a longer driving day to Pagosa Springs, CO, probably 5 ½ hours behind the wheel and we need to be off early.