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| MY TRUSTY CREW |
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| LANDSCAPE ARCH |
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| NEWSPAPER ROCK |
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| ST. JUAN RIVER AT GOOSENECKS |
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| TRYING TO GET RUN OVER |
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| MODERN NAVAJO STEED |
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| NAVAJO WOOL SPINNER |
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| MONUMENT VALLEY |
On the morning of our second day in Moab, a few of us decided to go rafting in the Colorado River. We joined up with a few other adventurous tourists to make a group of nine and, along with our guide Mackay, climbed onto an inflatable raft. Together, we spent about two hours paddling a stretch of the Colorado which included four rapids graded 1 to 2. It wasn't exactly white-water rafting but more a case of brown-water since the river was so muddy. It was great fun and I managed to keep my camera dry, but not the rest of me.
After lunch we took some short hikes around Arches NP to see further interesting rock formations. These formations are typically named after things they look like. We walked the Park Avenue Trail past 'Three Gossips' and 'Sheep Rock', then stopped by 'Balanced Rock' before hiking Devils Trail to 'Landscape Arch'.
We were back at our campsite late afternoon. It was Angela's and my turn to cook for everybody again so this time we prepared beef stew. The hot food, cutlery and plastic crockery were then packed for transportation and tour leader Alex drove us up to a viewpoint called 'Dead Horse Point'. From there we could look down upon the Colorado River and the surrounding sandstone rock formations from a great height. We were able to enjoy our food as we watched the colours of the rocks change from brown to orange as the sun set.
Next morning we ventured out from our camp to the 'Island in the Sky' district of Canyonlands NP to do a number of short hikes.
Island in the Sky is a mesa with an average elevation of about 6,000 ft, 1,500 ft above the immediate surroundings, enabling great views to be obtained from anywhere around the rim. We walked a short trail to Grand View Point Overlook from where we could see a vast rocky panorama. It rained for a change, and there was lightning in the distance, but it was still plenty warm enough.
After driving to a different location on the mesa we walked to Upheaval Dome, which is actually a crater, possibly caused by a meteorite.
Our third hike of the day was to Mesa Arch, which is a sandstone arch much like we saw in Arches NP, except that this one is hanging on to the side of the mesa wall. There is a large crack where the arch joins the wall, making it look extremely unstable. Inevitably the whole arch will drop into the canyon one day. In spite of this, some of the more brave/foolhardy of the group climbed onto the arch for photographs.
Back at the campground, the rain returned in the evening to challenge Kate and Chris, whose turn it was to prepare supper. The evening became cooler so, after the rain stopped, Alex lit a campfire so we could warm ourselves and cook marshmallows.
It was time to break camp in the morning and leave Moab for good. By 9.00am we were on our way to Monument Valley which straddles the border between Utah and Arizona. Along the way we stopped at the HOLE N" THE ROCK, which is a huge man-made cave alongside Highway 191. The cave is used as a watering hole and a home, and is surrounded by novel sculptures made of scraps of metal welded together.
We also deviated to Indian Creek to visit Newspaper Rock where drawings (petroglyphs) have been scratched onto the flat surface of the rock.
We had lunch at Muley Point on the southern rim of Cedar Mesa, overlooking the Valley of the Gods with the St. Juan River meandering through it. We obtained a much closer view of the River shortly after by driving down the steep exposed road from the mesa to the view point in Goosenecks State Park.
Once we had passed the town of Mexican Hat, named after a nearby rock, we had entered Navajo Nation territory. Monument Valley is wholly within the Navajo Nation, so to see it close up we needed to go to the Navajo Nation Visitor Center first.
They had an interesting display at the Center about the Navajo Code Talkers who used Navajo words to add a further layer of complexity to coded messages exchanged during WWII. Used in the Pacific theatre, these codes were never broken by the Japanese, giving US troops a significant advantage.
The viewing platform at the Visitor Center enabled us to obtain some excellent photographs of the mesas, buttes and spires which Monument Valley is so famous for and are seen in many cowboy films.
The viewing platform at the Visitor Center enabled us to obtain some excellent photographs of the mesas, buttes and spires which Monument Valley is so famous for and are seen in many cowboy films.
We were introduced to our Navajo guide Jamie who would take us on a 2-hour ride on unmade back roads around Monument Valley. We climbed aboard a specially modified 4WD vehicle with raised open seating on the back - a bit like a small open-top bus with no windows. It was a bumpy ride, but fun, and Jamie would stop every so often to give us the names of the various rock formations, which looked at their best in the low sun of the evening.
He took us to a traditional Navajo house, called a Hogan, made of wood and mud. A Navajo woman inside demonstrated carding and spinning wool. We also went to a cave called Big Hogan, the size of a music hall, where Jamie sang and played traditional Navajo music to us. I found the music really relaxing. Jamie tried to teach us a few Navajo words, but I have forgotten them now. He was an amusing guide with a laugh like Woody Woodpecker, so he deserved the tip I gave him at the end.
As it was getting late, we had supper at the Visitor Center. I had a Navajo Taco, which was large, filling and very similar to Mexican food I have eaten. Afterwards, Alex drove us to our Motel in Kayenta, Arizona. Luxury again!
