Tour Diary - Day Eleven
Nov. 24th, 2016 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanInto the Valleys of Mystery & Monuments...
Friday 14th of October - Hunt's Mesa, Mystery Valley, Monument Valley
A good night's sleep - well, mine was anyway, only waking in the pre-dawn hour as the camp came to life & the Thais wandered all over the place, stopping just short of walking through or over our tent, their destination being the little ledge we'd been at the night before. This meant that, again, we had to find another viewpoint for sunrise. Ryan Holiday to the rescue, as he took us to a place only a short distance away, near where he'd set up his iPad for a time-lapse view of dawn over the Valley. Sunrise turned out to be yesterday's sunset in reverse - first the clouds turned pink & red, then the formations in the Valley went from grey to brown to red then golden red as the sun cleared the horizon. Didn't hear the drone, so either the Thais had heard us subtly complaining about it the previous evening or, with any luck, the damned thing was broken
With dawn suitably documented, it was time for breakfast - & an explanation for some of the other pre-dawn noises I'd heard... a generous helping of scrambled eggs, bacon & the largest potato 'hash' I'd ever seen. That must have taken some peeling, I wonder who drew the short straw for that. All served with coffee brewed over the coals & available with cocoa-flavoured creamer... I could get to like the stuff
So, feeling more awake, time then to strike camp. Julia & I headed for our tent, packed up our kitbags & I folded the cots & mattresses, just as John came down to dismantle the tent. The Thais departed first - no goodbyes or waves... no worries. Come back when you can't stay so long. Then, with a last 'idiot check' around the campsite, we threw our gear & ourselves into the big Chevy & began our descent, going a mostly different way down, though not any smoother. More fun & hanging onto the 'god strap' above the door!
On the way down, we stopped off at 'Spiderweb Arch', a formation we'd glimpsed on the way up yesterday, but could get a lot closer to now. A short walk 'round a large stone wall Ryan called the Halfpipe, brought us up close to the Arch, with plenty of photos taken both of it & the surrounding landscape. The descent continued until we hit the sandy Valley floor again & headed out, Ryan enjoying the chance to get some speed up & slide the back wheels around a bit, just dodging the occasional cow & other vehicles heading up, including that of the land's owner, with whom John & Ryan had a long chat, bringing him up to date on the latest news & promise to keep the speed down... probably. Probably not though...
Back onto the main highway & past some of the formations near, but not 'in' Monument Valley itself. Four years ago, Julia & I must have driven past them in the dark, not even suspecting they were there. After about ten minutes, we arrived at John & Ryan's home to pick up various supplies, say hello to the dogs, take a bathroom break, then back in the Chevy & off to 'Mystery Valley' - an area 'round the back of Monument Valley filled with arches & several Anasazi ruins in the high rocks. Ryan told us the Anasazi were small people - around 4ft high, which certainly explained why the ruined dwellings were so small by today's standards. Pretty good with mud bricks though!!
We finished up at a formation known variously as 'Cow Pies' or 'Flying Saucers', depending on who you ask, then we left the Valley & its Mysteries & headed to a place known as 'Teardrop', closer to Monument Valley, the Holiday home & our accommodation at Goulding's Lodge. 'Teardrop' is a hole in the side of a butte, through which, at the right angle,you can see other, distant buttes & countryside. A great photo opportunity & place for us to have a final meal with John & Ryan, before they returned us to their home & our vehicles. Ryan had been soaking up photography tips from all 3 of us during the trip & I hope he gets to do a lot more of it - he shows a lot of talent & promise already...
If you like the sound of all these places & people... Take the tour!!
Back into Travis & a short drive to Goulding's outpost, where we checked in at our accommodations - Gary to his trailer spot & us to a nearby cabin with electricity, plumbing, wifi &... a comfortable bed! An hour's rest, recharging body & camera batteries, then off into Monument Valley for sunset
The feel inside the Valley was just as we remembered... The formations are huge, making you & your vehicle feel very small & insignificant, with their shadows looming over the dirt trail that circles the Valley. This place is unlike Arches NP in two ways - you can't drive right up to the rocks &, even if you could, you're not allowed to climb on them. I approve... this place is special to the Navajo & the last thing they (& I) want to see is 'foreigners' posing for selfies on sacred rocks
We arrived at John Ford Point just as the day's colours were turning, so set up quickly & started snapping. Not as colourful as the previous day up on the Mesa, but being down on the Valley floor, with the buttes now towering over us, was a beautiful & humbling experience. Even with a few people around, the peace & quiet was tangible... We were back!!
Dinner at the Goulding Lodge - in a large dining area full of noise & tourists, which was a bit of a rude shock after the silence & solitude of the last 2 days. The meals were too large for all of us to finish - & being dog-tired probably didn't help... the three of us couldn't get out of there fast enough & back to the cabin. Now go to bed... sunrise is only a few hours away
Friday 14th of October - Hunt's Mesa, Mystery Valley, Monument Valley
A good night's sleep - well, mine was anyway, only waking in the pre-dawn hour as the camp came to life & the Thais wandered all over the place, stopping just short of walking through or over our tent, their destination being the little ledge we'd been at the night before. This meant that, again, we had to find another viewpoint for sunrise. Ryan Holiday to the rescue, as he took us to a place only a short distance away, near where he'd set up his iPad for a time-lapse view of dawn over the Valley. Sunrise turned out to be yesterday's sunset in reverse - first the clouds turned pink & red, then the formations in the Valley went from grey to brown to red then golden red as the sun cleared the horizon. Didn't hear the drone, so either the Thais had heard us subtly complaining about it the previous evening or, with any luck, the damned thing was broken
With dawn suitably documented, it was time for breakfast - & an explanation for some of the other pre-dawn noises I'd heard... a generous helping of scrambled eggs, bacon & the largest potato 'hash' I'd ever seen. That must have taken some peeling, I wonder who drew the short straw for that. All served with coffee brewed over the coals & available with cocoa-flavoured creamer... I could get to like the stuff
So, feeling more awake, time then to strike camp. Julia & I headed for our tent, packed up our kitbags & I folded the cots & mattresses, just as John came down to dismantle the tent. The Thais departed first - no goodbyes or waves... no worries. Come back when you can't stay so long. Then, with a last 'idiot check' around the campsite, we threw our gear & ourselves into the big Chevy & began our descent, going a mostly different way down, though not any smoother. More fun & hanging onto the 'god strap' above the door!
On the way down, we stopped off at 'Spiderweb Arch', a formation we'd glimpsed on the way up yesterday, but could get a lot closer to now. A short walk 'round a large stone wall Ryan called the Halfpipe, brought us up close to the Arch, with plenty of photos taken both of it & the surrounding landscape. The descent continued until we hit the sandy Valley floor again & headed out, Ryan enjoying the chance to get some speed up & slide the back wheels around a bit, just dodging the occasional cow & other vehicles heading up, including that of the land's owner, with whom John & Ryan had a long chat, bringing him up to date on the latest news & promise to keep the speed down... probably. Probably not though...
Back onto the main highway & past some of the formations near, but not 'in' Monument Valley itself. Four years ago, Julia & I must have driven past them in the dark, not even suspecting they were there. After about ten minutes, we arrived at John & Ryan's home to pick up various supplies, say hello to the dogs, take a bathroom break, then back in the Chevy & off to 'Mystery Valley' - an area 'round the back of Monument Valley filled with arches & several Anasazi ruins in the high rocks. Ryan told us the Anasazi were small people - around 4ft high, which certainly explained why the ruined dwellings were so small by today's standards. Pretty good with mud bricks though!!
We finished up at a formation known variously as 'Cow Pies' or 'Flying Saucers', depending on who you ask, then we left the Valley & its Mysteries & headed to a place known as 'Teardrop', closer to Monument Valley, the Holiday home & our accommodation at Goulding's Lodge. 'Teardrop' is a hole in the side of a butte, through which, at the right angle,you can see other, distant buttes & countryside. A great photo opportunity & place for us to have a final meal with John & Ryan, before they returned us to their home & our vehicles. Ryan had been soaking up photography tips from all 3 of us during the trip & I hope he gets to do a lot more of it - he shows a lot of talent & promise already...
If you like the sound of all these places & people... Take the tour!!
Back into Travis & a short drive to Goulding's outpost, where we checked in at our accommodations - Gary to his trailer spot & us to a nearby cabin with electricity, plumbing, wifi &... a comfortable bed! An hour's rest, recharging body & camera batteries, then off into Monument Valley for sunset
The feel inside the Valley was just as we remembered... The formations are huge, making you & your vehicle feel very small & insignificant, with their shadows looming over the dirt trail that circles the Valley. This place is unlike Arches NP in two ways - you can't drive right up to the rocks &, even if you could, you're not allowed to climb on them. I approve... this place is special to the Navajo & the last thing they (& I) want to see is 'foreigners' posing for selfies on sacred rocks
We arrived at John Ford Point just as the day's colours were turning, so set up quickly & started snapping. Not as colourful as the previous day up on the Mesa, but being down on the Valley floor, with the buttes now towering over us, was a beautiful & humbling experience. Even with a few people around, the peace & quiet was tangible... We were back!!
Dinner at the Goulding Lodge - in a large dining area full of noise & tourists, which was a bit of a rude shock after the silence & solitude of the last 2 days. The meals were too large for all of us to finish - & being dog-tired probably didn't help... the three of us couldn't get out of there fast enough & back to the cabin. Now go to bed... sunrise is only a few hours away
