We all gather at the parks office and load up for our “Jeep” tour of Monument Valley. You will notice these vehicles aren’t “Jeeps” at all - but Toyota trucks that have been modified - they just like to call them “Jeeps”. Our driver and guide, Patsy, begins by speaking what sounds like Japanese - very foreign. She starts laughing and says she thought we all understood Navajo! We are glad when she switches to English.
Our first stop is an authentic Navajo Hogan (pronounced Ho-Gone). It is a traditional structure that the Navajo use mostly for ceremonies and family gatherings. It is a very spiritual place to them. The floor is dirt - to represent Mother Earth, the door faces to the East - to greet the morning sun, and there is a hole in the roof - so that the sky can come in and the smoke from their fire can escape. The log structure is covered with mud, making it blend in and become one with the surroundings. We are greeted by a Man and a Woman - the Man told us stories and history and the Woman demonstrated things like Rug Weaving and Grinding Corn.
I was chosen - well I was the only one with long hair so I volunteered - to help demonstrate how the Navajo’s traditionally wear their hair. In the first picture the Woman is brushing my hair with a traditional brush made from dried grasses. I wouldn’t want to have to do this very often - it didn’t hurt, just felt scratchy. In the second picture I am holding the length of yarn she will use to bind my hair. In the third picture she is beginning to do the wrapping and in the last picture we have the finished product. I normally do not like my hair all tied back, but I did leave it like this the rest of the day. Having it done made me feel just a little special!
As we enter the Monument Valley Tribal Park, we get our first view of some of the formations. The road is very bumpy, steep and winding. This is almost an “E-Ticket” ride! The Navajo Tribal Park is 30,000 acres in size and is located within the 16 Million acre Navajo Reservation. The park is at 5500 feet above sea level with most of the formations being 400-1200 feet tall. They are just there on mostly flat land - very impressive. They have been sculpted by wind, rain and temperature for the last 50 million years.
Our guide tells us the names of the formations and lists many TV Shows, Movies and Commercials that they have been used in. Unfortunately, the road was so bumpy I couldn’t write any of it down! Of course, there is always a “shopping opportunity” most every time we stop!
We are really “off roading” now - sure hope that this truck has 4-wheel drive! It's hard to tell in these pictures, but we should be in 4-wheel drive if we aren't.
We stopped at this area for a photo-op, which Patsy said was the “million dollar shot”. We didn’t understand until everyone wanted their picture with that background. Actually, the background didn’t show up too good in some of the pictures. The first picture is the background, then we have us. The third picture is of our WagonMaster’s Claudia and Jerry Barber. The fourth picture is of our “trainee” TailGunners Betty and Jim Lenneman. We did not get to get a picture of our real TailGunners Linda and Larry Slycord, because they were stuck in Farmington New Mexico with coach problems. That is a whole other story.... They were able to re-join us at Lake Powell - problems solved!
More beautiful scenery. Isn’t it neat how the third picture looks like a boot - for all the cowboy movies made here! Of course, we have another “shopping opportunity”. I was tempted, but since I do beading sometimes I figured I could make the same stuff for lots less money. They did ok with what everyone else purchased anyway.
After a great L.E.O. lunch at the Goulding’s Café, we enjoyed touring the Goulding’s Museum. Everything here is “Goulding’s”. Actually, this is the only non-Indian enterprise on the entire Navajo Reservation! At the end of WWI, Harry Goulding and his wife “Mike” came to Monument Valley to live among the Indians. They were responsible for starting a trading post and bringing in the motion picture industry to Monument Valley, providing income and assistance for the Navajo’s survival.
Let's not forget the "John Wayne" cabin! John Wayne and his movies are what put this place on the map. He was here so much that he had his own cabin.
After a travel briefing, we enjoyed a wonderful Happy Hour with our friends Sheryl and Jack and their friends. It was great getting caught up with them. They were on their way to the Adventure Caravan’s Reunion Rally in Colorado Springs Colorado. We kind of wish we had signed up for that also - it should be a good one!
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