Monument Valley - Utah & Arizona

The next morning, we left Cortez and headed toward Monument Valley, the site of many of the beautiful formations that were pictured in countless western movies over the years, particularly the John Wayne movies. In route we passed by Four Corners, the point where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico all meet at one point. We were surprised to learn that this unique meeting point of four states in located on Navajo land and is not public property. We paid our entry fee and walked over to the platform overlooking the geographic meeting point of these four states. We took turns photographing each other as we simultaneously straddled all four states. Let’s see any of you others try to be in four states at the same time. LOL!!!!!!! Definitely worth the small admission charge, which we viewed as partial recompense to the Navajo for all of the ways in which the white settlers had treated them so poorly during last 150 years.

After several hours of driving through beautiful countryside in Arizona, we crossed back into Utah and arrived at Gouldings RV campground in the heart of Monument Valley. The Gouldings had been two of the few whites who made any effort 70-80 years ago to interact with the native Navajo living on their reservations. On the height of the great depression, Fred Goulding was successful in persuading director John Ford to film many of his westerns in Monument Valley, including Stagecoach and several other westerns featuring John Wayne. Subsequently, they were successful in building a substantial resort including lodge, campground, grocery store, helicopter tours…….!!!!!!!

We signed up for their backcountry tour of Monument Valley and were glad we did so as they were able to take us to many place in the backcountry of Monument Valley that were off limits to the general public. Our first stop was at a Navajo Hogan where an elderly Navajo woman demonstrated various aspects of early life for the Navajo, including rug weaving and basket making. The highlight of this stop was when she asked for a volunteer to demonstrate how young Navajo women would tie up their hair using colorful home-made yarn. Jo volunteered as was treated to a 200 year old style hairdo, complete with colorful home-made yellow yearn. This was some of the most beautiful rock formations and landscape that we have seen outside of national parks. After a very pleasant 5 hour motorized tour of the valley, we were able to get back to a well situation observation point where we could see the light of the setting sun on the monuments followed moments later by a full moon rising over the monuments on the eastern horizon. Jo was barely able to fit all of the photographs she was taking on the two gig memory card in her camera. LOL LOL !!!!