Saturday, August 22, 2015

August 20, 2015

Tour

There are a number of ways to see Monument Valley.  The entrance fee allows you to drive into the valley past a number of the more familiar formations.  The road is quite congested with all the other tourists and is quite bumpy so the driver must spend most of his attention to just driving.  The only information available is what is on the half sheet map you get when you enter the park.  The drive is also limited in scope restricting you from entering areas that require a guide.  At the visitor center parking lot there are a number of outfits offering guided tours of various types.  Standard tour that you can drive but without the driving hassle and with narration.  Extended standard tour which takes you to some of restricted areas.  Sunrise, sunset, full moon, etc.  There is also another area adjacent to Monument Valley.  It is called Mystery Valley.  Instead of the huge monument structures that you view from afar in MV, this area contains other forms of rock structure as well as many areas of historical and archeological interest.  AND, you see them close up.  This whole area is guide only.  Arches, cliff dwellings, remnants of Navajo homes, petroglyphs and pictographs, and outstanding views close up.  Gouldings offers an all day tour that combines Mystery Valley and Monument Valley.  That is what we did and enjoyed the entire day. Managed to get in a swim after the tour to wash off the dust from a day in an open tour truck. We finished the day with a trip back to the Tribal visitors center to catch sunset light on the mittens with less smoke today.

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Goes by many names.  One is ‘Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble’

 

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An arch

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Very old house Smile

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Shards of pottery

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Another arch.  There is a dwelling tucked into the shadow to the left of the arch.

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Our tour guide is gathering some Juniper pitch to put on a sore (open blister) on the palm of her hand.  Actually looked better in just a short time.

 

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Another arch.  There were many.

 

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Cave in center of picture was used as a location in John Wayne movie ‘The Searchers’.  We saw the movie the next night and recognized the spot.

 

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This is called ‘House of Many Hands’ because of hand images worked in to stone wall above it.

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This type of image is called a pictograph.  Hand was used as a stencil and material was worked in to wall around it. Actually painting the rock.

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Several different colors are used .

 

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These are petroglyphs.  Image scratched in to stone.

 

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Tour includes lunch prepared by guide.

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Part of Monument Valley tour.  ‘Sleeping Dragon’

 

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For $5 you could be sitting on the horse.

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‘North Window’

 

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Sunset light on Monument Valley



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