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Southwest National Parks - 2018
Canyonlands & Arches
to Monument Valley
Day 10 - April 29
Newspaper Rock - Indian petroglyphs
They were made about 2,000 years ago by the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures
The pictures are carved into a very thin layer of iron (black) that nature has covered the rock in
Past Newspaper Rock, the highway enters the Needles District of Canyonlands
The Needles District drive
There are three districts in Canyonlands: Islands in the Sky, Needles, and Maze.
Needles is much less accessed than Islands in the Sky; Maze even less so, as it only offers offroad (4x4) access
A portion of The Needles. More to come
Wooden Shoe Arch
See the shoe?
Slickrock Trailhead
The trail was almost entirely on rock
Striking rock formations
There are The Needles!
She's doing great, kneebrace and all!
Desert blooms
The slickrock trail - notice the cairns as trailmarkers; without them, you are lost
One big rock
Drink lots of water...
...follow the cairns...
...and avoid the muddy potholes!
A little arch
The black is a layer of iron
The Needles from Slickrock Trail
Is that an arch?
Elephant Hill Drive, and dirt road which heads into The Needles backcountry
The Needles from Elephant Hill Drive
Elephant Hill Drive
This is where we turned around. The road was great - would love to explore it more - it heads toward a trail that leads to a view of the Colorado-Green Rivers confluence
A mushroom rock on Needles District Drive
Our Blanding AirBnB home. Blanding is just south of The Needles District of Canyonlands, and about an hour from Monument Valley
Monument Valley
4x4 Guided Tour
Day 11 - April 30
On Highway 261, on the way to the Moki Dugway, Goosenecks and Monument Valley. This guy slowed us down
The famous Moki Dugway. A 3-mile gravel portion of Highway 261, it descends from Cedar Mesa to the Valley of the Gods
The road was built in 1958 by Texas Zinc to transport uranium ore from its Happy Jack mine in Fry Canyon (on Highway 95) to a processing mill in Mexican Hat
The Valley of the Gods, looking toward Goosenecks State Park and Mexican Hat
We met a tanker coming up. Fortunately at the switchback, where there is more room
A fascinating ride. The road is well-maintained and felt very safe
Goosenecks State Park. The San Juan River
Now that's a meandering river
Goosenecking river rafters
So that's what the town Mexican Hat is named for!
The San Juan River at Mexican Hat, upstream from the Goosnecks
Horse crossing, approaching Monument Valley
The well-known view approaching Monument Valley. Breathtaking
The view from Goulding's Trading Post in Monument Valley
Monument Valley has served as a set piece for innumerable western movies. Goulding Museum has curated many of them, including Back to the Future Part 3
We had reserved a 4x4 sunset ride; we arrived at noon, and it looked like the sunset wouldn't be that good. On top of that, we didn't really want to wait four hours for our ride to start.
We asked the company if we could join an afternoon group, and they put us on a truck all by ourselves! Toney was our Navajo guide - he was fantastic. Thanks, Toney!!
Our first stop on the tour - West and East Mitten. Merrick Butte is on the right
John Ford's Point, named for the movie director. Ford would come here between shoots to enjoy the view
Ford would gaze across at The Three Sisters
Ric on John Ford's Point
Elephant Butte
Camel Butte
This one didn't have a name - looks like a ball glove
Monument Valley has an 11-mile self-guided tour. Our tour would take us on some of the back roads
Navajo hogans, huts of logs and earth. There are only about 25 familes who live within the borders of the park, grandfathered there
In the movie The Searchers, Natalie Wood hides in this cave
Moccasin Arch
Big Hogan Arch
Toney playing a Navajo song
Anasazi petroglyphs at Big Hogan Arch
Toney uncovering an ancient grinding stone. He discovered this years ago, and covers it up so that other guides can't find it :)
Sun's Eye Arch
Arch at Submarine Rock
Ear of the Wind Arch
Toney unearths another grinding stone
Unknown Arch
Totem Pole & Yei Bi Chei
Totem Pole
Yei Bi Chei
Rough road
Well, maybe it would have been a good sunset, but we really like the tour given to us!!
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