Saturday, August 22, 2015

August 22, 2015

Four Corners

Moving on to Mesa Verde.

Basically a travel day with one short detour.  The Four Corners monument.

Plaza with marker in the middle and bordered on all four sides with permanent buildings containing vending stalls.  Does give some neatness to the vending as opposed to the roadside trucks and ramadas but how much silver jewelry can one look at.

P1130246

 

P1130248

 

 

P1130250

 

P1130258

 

Camped in campground across from entrance to Mesa Verde about noon.  Lunch and then to visitor center to sign up for tours.  Tomorrow we see some old buildings Smile.



August 21, 2015

Sightseeing

Today was a day for touring in the car to go places and see things we could not get to in the carbus.

P1020358Hidden Arch above campground

Before starting we hiked a couple hundred yards behind the campground to see a hidden arch.

North of Monument Valley about 20 miles is the very small town (wide spot) of Mexican Hat.

Mexican Hat

Any idea where the town name comes from?

 

 

Just north of there state highway 261 takes off to the left.  At the start of the road there are several large signs basically saying that if you are in anything larger or heavier than a passenger car do not continue.  My kind of road Smile

Shortly we turned on a road to Goosenecks State Park.  At the end of a three mile road is a vista point and a small dry camping camp ground – and an entrance hut manned by someone to take your entrance fee.  The view overlooks an area where the San Juan River makes a series of hairpin bends as it flows through the plateau.  The river is well over 1000’ below the view point.

IMG_0033

 

IMG_0034

 

IMG_0035

 

Out to the main road and left toward the reason for the warning signs.

Muleys Point

View to the left as we headed north from Goosenecks road.  We were headed to the top of that point.

 

The road heads straight for a mesa wall that reaches over 1000’ above the level you are driving on.  The cliff is continuous for miles with no sign of a way to go around it and certainly no evident way up it.  But there is.  It is called the Moki Dugway. 

 

2015-08-21 (81)

2015-08-21 (37)

At the base of the cliff the road turns into gravel and heads up – and up – and up.  Over 1500’ climbed in three miles.  Hairpin on hairpin on hairpin.  The road clutches the mesa wall so tightly you have no idea it is there when you look up.  Surprisingly it is wide enough for two cars comfortably but the hairpins are too steep and sharp for large vehicles.  Fun drive and great views. 

Moki Dugway

Moki Dugway

 

 

At the top we took another road (nicely graded dirt) to the end of a plateau to a spot called Muley Point. (Disregard picture label spelling).  Again, great views.

Muley's Point

Muley's Point

 

Muley's Point

 

Back to the top of Moki Dugway and down this time.  At the bottom, instead of returning on the paved road, we turned on a road leading into the “Valley of the Gods’.

This road is scratched in to the surface of the desert.  It is not even carved.  It follows all the contours of the land including into and out of washes.  No culverts to allow water to cross road.  Sign at start of road says road impassible in wet weather.  Believe it.  Road can be done in passenger car – we saw several.  Better in high clearance vehicle.  More comfortable with four wheel drive.  We had fun ride.

Valley of the Gods

Road into Valley of the Gods

 

Valley of the Gods

 

 

Reviews of the drive show many who think it is more spectacular than Monument Valley.  I can see their point.  Monument Valley landmarks are more massive and are seen from some distance.  In Valley of the Gods you drive through monuments on all sides.  More personal experience.

 

 

Valley of the Gods

 

Valley of the Gods

 

Valley of the Gods

Valley of the Gods

Valley of the Gods

 

Valley of the Gods

 

 

Back on the highway we went north to the small town of Bluff.

Bluff, Utah

  Was a Mormon expansion community 150+ years ago (ancient peoples before that).  Now a quaint small town with interesting buildings, history, and a very nice museum with extensive outdoor displays.

Back south to Monument Valley.  Decided to go to the Tribal Park visitor center again to catch the monuments in a little different light.  (Admission pass is good for four days Smile

IMG_0062

 

 

An observation at this point on the tourist mix we have experienced in this area.  The visitor center and tours of Monument Valley is like a playground for The United Nations.  We very rarely heard English spoken except during transactions (buying stuff, etc.)  Many Europeans in addition to Japanese, (East)Indians, and several other nationalities.  A portion of our tour included a family from the Netherlands.  These people are touring in a variety of ways.  Hotel/motel, car camping, rented motorhomes.  Only place we have seen as many CruiseAmerica RVs is in Alaska. 

2015-08-21 (34)

Visitor log from Goosenecks SP – a pretty remote place.  Only one entry is from the United States (Az).

 

Last night in the Navajo Nation and we had yet to do some Navajo food.  Went to Gouldings restaurant and had Navajo Tacos.

P1020380

 

P1020377

Water pitcher in restaurant.  Every table had one.  Cloth napkins too.

 

  Later that evening we watched ‘The Searchers’.  Good movie.

 

P1020376

View from our campground.  We had a nice visit To the Monument Valley area.



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.

IMG_0002

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

 

IMG_0029

An arch

IMG_0022

Very old house Smile

IMG_0020

Shards of pottery

IMG_0033

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

P1020318

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.

 

IMG_0035

Another arch.  There were many.

 

IMG_0034

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.

 

IMG_0037

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

IMG_0040

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.

P1020330

Several different colors are used .

 

P1020328

IMG_0038

These are petroglyphs.  Image scratched in to stone.

 

IMG_0048IMG_0049

Tour includes lunch prepared by guide.

IMG_0080

 

IMG_0081

 

IMG_0068

Part of Monument Valley tour.  ‘Sleeping Dragon’

 

P1120953

For $5 you could be sitting on the horse.

IMG_0094

‘North Window’

 

P1020338P1020340P1020345

 

P1020337

Sunset light on Monument Valley