On Thursday, Oct. 17th we drove South for two hours to Monument Valley Tribal Park. The park is operated by the Navajo Indians on 91,696 acres, extending from southern Utah into northern Arizona.
The height of the monuments range from 100 feet to 1,500 feet, each monolith has a name and holds great spiritual value for the Navajo tribes.
The first sight we discovered was the picture made famous by the movie "Forrest Gump", the road leading into the valley from the mountains in southern Utah.
As we entered the valley we encountered some of the sandstone monuments along the road to the park entrance. Here is the King on his Throne.
From there we paid our entry fee of $20 and stopped at the Visitor's Center to get directions and brochures to explore the valley in our car.
The first sight we discovered was the picture made famous by the movie "Forrest Gump", the road leading into the valley from the mountains in southern Utah.
As we entered the valley we encountered some of the sandstone monuments along the road to the park entrance. Here is the King on his Throne.
From there we paid our entry fee of $20 and stopped at the Visitor's Center to get directions and brochures to explore the valley in our car.
From the balcony of the visitors center, the valley spread out before us, an inspiring view.
On the other side of the parking lot there is a reconstructed "hogan" village, traditional sun-baked mud and stick huts that early Navajo's lived in. Some elderly Navajos still live in these traditional homes on the reservation today. Many are still used for ceremonial purposes by the Navajos as well.
From the parking lot, we headed down a very steep, narrow winding road into the valley. The roads were very poor, deeply rutted, running through red sand and clay, with large stone outcroppings that made driving very difficult at times. But, my human Dad doesn't let such things keep us from seeing and exploring new adventures every day.
This is the West Mitten
Both Mittens (West and East mittens)
Merrick Butte (named after a soldier turned prospectors, who searched for gold in the area)
Three Sisters (resembling a Catholic nun teaching two students)
Rain God Mesa (the Navajos pray to this deity to bring rain to their dry land)
The Hand of God?
The Thumb
The All-seeing Eye
The North Window
Here are Dad and me at the Artist Point overlook. There is a 100-foot drop off right behind that railing we are standing in front of.
It was fun, but I thought all of the hundreds of bumps in the road would shake my brain loose before we finally drove back up the steep winding road to the paved parking lot, two and a half hours later.
We had to drive two hours back to Blanding, Utah. On the way, we made one more side trip to see a local attraction called "Mexican Hat Rock". It looks like a Mexican sombrero lying upside down.
All in all, it made for a long day in the car, and I was tired when we arrived back at our house.
Tomorrow we are going South again to explore several places we were told we could search for Petroglyphs and ancient ruins in the area around Bluff, Utah😄.
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