Various tours are offered through Monument Valley, and we opted for the Deluxe Sunset Tour, which traveled by jeep not only through the 17-mile dirt road open to the public (for a fee), but also through private areas where you can only enter with a guide.
Our guide was wonderful...very interesting and very laid back. We really had a good group on our jeep! So, the first thing we learned about were Hogans...the structures built from logs, and mud. Engineers are particularly impressed with the construction. These hogans (homes) are built to last, usually about 80 years. The weather can be extreme in the high desert, but inside the Hogan, its cooler in summer and warm in winter. There is a wood stove in the center of the Hogan, with a hole in the "roof" that is always open. They collect the water when it rains (only 12 inches a year or so) and use it.
We had a demonstration by a Navajo woman carding wool, spinning wool, weaving a blanket, and grinding corn (which is used for ceremonies/cakes things like that). It was really interesting to me. The doorways always face east because its sacred...the sun coming up and all good things happening. The kids have to run east a couple of miles when they wake up to capture these "good wishes".
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| demonstration inside the Hogan |
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| spinning wool for the blanket |
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| Tom (and the rest of our group) leaving the Hogan |
After the demonstration and tour of the Hogan, we entered the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The dirt road was pretty sandy actually, and had lots of ruts in it. We were SO glad we did not have our little car. We would have bottomed out in so many places. Anyway, our tour guide was wonderful, and gave us facts about the monuments, and talked about lots of interesting things regarding Navajo spiritualism. He also pointed out where various movies and commercials were filmed.
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| entering Monument Valley |
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| just like in the movies...the Left Mitten, the Right Mitten....Oh, the Jeep and Ford car commercials were filmed on TOP of the right mitten! |
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| close up of the Left Mitten |
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| the road through the valley is not the best...glad we did not have our little car |
The jeep stopped at various points, mainly for great photo ops. Also, as a stop if you want to purchase any Navajo jewelry. There are very few ways to make a living out here in the middle of nowhere....I bought a few things:)
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| oh look, Native Navajo jewelry for sale here |
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| the view is amazing....looking for cowboys to come charging through |
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| looking back...a new hotel in the tribal park overlooking Monument Valley...can't get much closer than that! |
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| hoping onto the jeep |
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| horses grazing randomly |
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| the ride was amazing |
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| the guide told us about the sacredness and the names of the monuments |
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| these are the 3 Sisters (as in nuns)...we had a stop here....there was more jewelry to be had here, as well as tourist photos on horseback (except when we were there - it was late in the afternoon and COLD and WINDY and they were done for the day) |
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| We are in Monument Valley...can you believe it? |
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| another shot of the 3 Sisters with the awesome sky view |
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| Don't go too much farther! |
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| Howdy everyone! |
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| amazing Monument Valley |
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| right after the cute horses, we traveled where you could only go with a guide |
Soon into our trip, we drove down a separate road to explore an area closed to the public. We were treated to the views of several arches, and a few petroglyphs. We learned a bit about the Navajo ways and some of the spiritualism as well. Very interesting.
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| the views were super no matter which way you looked |
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| the road was like a rollercoaster....wheeeeee..... |
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| Charro sheep from Spain...and the cute sheep dog guarding them |
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| passing through Navajo community |
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| a Hogan |
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| sooo happy we took this tour...its fantastic! |
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| more Navajo communities....can only enter with the guide |
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| these are very sacred...represent spirits |
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| Plenty of arches to see on this segment of the tour |
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| the landscape was so cool! the roads were wild though:) |
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| an image of a Native Navajo....see the arch at the top? |
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| water drips through that hole at the top, and formed the image |
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| looks like an anvil or a dinosaur head |
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| petroglyph |
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| another arch...these rocks are huge |
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| cool landscape |
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| there's our little jeep...for perspective |
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| we traveled for miles |
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| this looks like a beach, doesn't it? There is an arch on the right...way up high |
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| they say this looks like an "eye" with the dark brown eyelashes |
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| more petroglyphs here as well |
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| it does look like an eye! |
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| more interesting formations |
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| very cool in this part of Monument Valley...Navajo Tribal land |
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| love these rocks |
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| they say this looks like an"ear".. |
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| there is a giant sand dune in front of this arch...the wind is quite a force of nature |
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| more sand...tons of it |
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| the area is so pretty |
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| another shot of the "road"...we were bouncing all over the place |
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| the sun is starting to set and the monuments are getting a special glow |
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| looks like a hand.... |
Eventually, we made it back to the public road and enjoyed views of more monuments and listened to more interesting facts about them and also the Navajo in general. The light was beginning to change with the sunset and everything was beginning to take on a special glow.
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| I forget, but I think we are back on the public "road" |
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| scene where the "Marlboro" man was shot (he's dead now from smoking) |
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| a special glow at this time of day |
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| amazing views |
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| there are the sisters again |
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| we really enjoyed this little adventure |
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| it was pretty cold...but way better than being hot! |
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| isn't that amazing |
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| they call this the "thumb" or John Wayne's gun |
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| Formations everywhere |
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| nice light |
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| the light was fantastic in the distance |
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| just glowing |
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| an amazing ride through Monument Valley |
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| great memory! |
What a wonderful adventure we had in this magical place. We really enjoyed the tour and thought it was worth every cent. And.....we are also happy we didn't wreck our car in there!! Haha!
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