Saturday, May 10, 2014

A Tour and A Hike, Monument Valley, UT


The West Mitten
Petroglyphs!
The Eagle
Sleeping Frankenstein
Other side of Frankenstein
Near John Ford Point

West Mitten - Wildcat Trail
Desert Scrub, up close



This venue is actually one of the main sights we wanted to see in Arizona.  Ironically, it is in Utah.  And while it too was lovely, it probably wasn't our favourite day. We spent just one night and one day. After the sunrise we went on a Navajo guided tour on the valley floor.  The only way to get onto the floor of the valley was to take a Jeep tour....I don't think our little Focus had enough clearance!  The tour was soooo expensive, but we did enjoy the back country section which is only accessible with a native Navajo guide! The dunes are crazy red!!

In the afternoon we hiked the Wildcat trail around the West Mitten monument.  This...we loved.  The shale trail was easy to follow, with white-painted rocks for markers, and easy footing. I love these opportunities to get away from the main attraction and so few people seem to be "out there". 

Near the end of our day, this lovely white haze drifted in and that light is great for photos. It is amazing how much the landscape changes under different skies.  It ended up raining after we left, and we saw snow along the way to Sedona as well.

One of our favourite little unexpected gems was the very informal (FREE!) film museum at Golding's Trading Post.  That was so fascinating! Wish we had stayed here or at least gone here first.  Although it's hard to pass up the sunrise on the balcony in pajamas drinking really bad hotel room coffee.  

Next stop: Sedona, AZ

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