Today we drove around the north rim of Canyon de Chelley. We saw more ruins and I bought a necklace from a native American which is made of silver and turquoise with a dream-catcher at the bottom. Our standard reason for not buying feathers/leather/juniper berry jewellery or stone carvings or horsehair vases being that we can’t take them home! It was a rainy morning – the cold front from Grand Canyon is still following us! The man who sold us the necklace was very nice, but all his jewellery got a little wet because of the rain!
We walked down to the lookout, wondering why the man had said we’d hear music. Then we heard it – kind of creepy as it suited the place but we didn’t know where it was coming from! Then we saw a guy playing a flute who is from the area and is a musician and motivational speaker in regard to the Navajo tribe. He told us about how young people need to embrace their culture as well as the future and the technology of today. He said that he writes his music right there on the side of the canyon, as well as in the canyon. We walked a little further and took more photos and when we came back a few moments later, he was gone. Maybe he turned into an eagle or songbird like in the movies??!
We then continued on to Monument Valley. Another Maccas stop at Kayenta for email and facebook etc. We drove out to Monument Valley and took some pictures while it was still sunny. We bought some postcards from the awesome gift shop – I could have spent a lot of money there! They had awesome horse hair vases and handmade rugs. The former were really cool, but again, don’t think Australian Customs would approve!
We had to pay $5 each to enter the ‘Valley’ as it is not part of the NPS. We were asked if we wanted to camp to which we said no. We knew there was free camping 50 miles up the road and the $10 would only have got us a spot in the carpark – no proper toilets or even tables. Lonely Planet claimed it was worth it for the sunset and sunrise views, but it was starting to get overcast so we didn’t know what kind of sunset there would be! A bit expensive for no amenities at all.
Instead we decided to defy death and tackle the 17-mile drive around the monuments. We made it 4 miles. It was suicidal – steep slopes, five-inch deep potholes and big rocks in the actual road. And then it started to rain. So with our windscreen sounding like it was about to pop out, we turned back. I didn’t relax at all during the drive, except when we stopped so I could take photos! Poor Betsey was incredibly shaken! I think they deliberately keep the road really horrible so that people are forced to go on tours of the monuments rather than risk their pretty SUVs and RVs. Plenty of people risked it like us and some drivers had horrified expressions as they bounced and clattered along that horrible road! Makes my parents’ driveway seem like a freeway J. Apart from the, the actual monuments themselves were pretty spectacular. Definitely the stuff of Westerns! They were so red with strange narrow spires coming out of the sides of some of them. Stunning, but it would have been nicer if it hadn’t been raining, windy and cold!! Oh yeah and if the road had been better… definitely something which would’ve improved our experience!
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| Me trying not to get blown away! |
Accommodation at the Lodge at Monument Valley started at about $170 a night according to Lonely Planet, so we skipped that and the muddy carpark ‘camping for the free camping up the road at Navajo Monument. Much better, with actual flushing toilets, running water and a washing up sink!
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