Monumental Valleys

We were going to stop at 4 corners on the way to Monument Valley, Utah, but it was closed for renovation. We arrived at the campground amidst high winds, blowing red sand and light sprinkles. The sandstorm got so intense that we couldn’t see a block, much less the monuments. By the next morning we had a light dusting of sand inside and the outside of the RV was caked with red. A hard rain would be welcome now. Bob loves this campground which is surrounded by huge red rocks.

Monument Valley is awesome! We drove the 17-mile dirt road in the Navajo Tribal Park among huge monoliths rising up from the desert floor. The scenery is stunning and we enjoyed visiting with local dogs that come begging at the cars. It was cool though – only 42 degrees!

Who would have guessed that after a 25-year love affair with the ocean and marine mammals that Mary would be loving the desert! But it's true and we find that the desert is a lot like the ocean. Many of the deserts in the southwest are in fact old seabeds. The oceans have receded and the land has been uplifted exposing former reef systems. The desert plants often look like coral or waving sea fans. If you squint just a little, you could be snorkeling rather than sitting on a rock in the sun. The silence in the desert is also like being under the sea. The wind is comparable to wave surges and gives you that feeling of rocking back and forth in the surf. Yesterday we were sitting among the monoliths in Monument Valley, Utah. The peaceful calm energy of these enormous rocks reminded Mary of floating in the water with Humpback whales. They were powerful, huge, and so sweet.

We also took a drive through Valley of the Gods park, a smaller more compact Monument Valley. The rocks weren’t as tall or massive, but interesting all the same. We found a really great spring gushing water out of a hole in the rocks and followed it down the wash for a few blocks.

This morning we also made a quick stop at Gooseneck State Park where the San Juan river makes some crazy bends in a deep canyon. Mary really gets a kick out of all the San Juans we are encountering. There is a San Juan county in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, the San Juan Mountains, the San Juan River, and of course many San Juan’s this and that everywhere.