The Monument Valley Tour Begins.

Well folks, we finally made it into Monument Valley and if you think what you see on Route 163 is stupendous, wait till you get further inside. Roy and I were very lucky to be able to take a tour with members of the San Juan County Economic Development and Visitors Services, and Community Ambassadors from Monticello, Blanding and Bluff Fort; we all had a blast! The photo of us isn't the greatest, but what the heck...we were there!

We did the morning three hour tour through Goulding's Lodge, and yes, we did sing the theme song from "Gilligan's Island" as we started off. I'll be doing a complete write up of Goulding's Lodge in a later post, but they also have an afternoon three hour tour and an all day tour which includes a luncheon. There are other tour groups for Monument Valley, but Goulding's is the only one I'll be able to give you photos and information about. Let me say this right now, you want to go on a guided tour; #1 - the guides are Navajo and know their own history and culture; #2 - the roads are 100% "primitive", so unless breaking an axle on your vehicle is your life's dream...take the guided tour!!! So, lets begin this adventure, oh, and there are so many photos to show, I'm going to have to make this a two part write up.

Lets begin with the ride down Route 163 (Utah towards Arizona) towards Monument Valley; that morning we had to be at Goulding's before 9am, the sky was hazy with sun and thick clouds. Off to the right is Eagle Rock, Setting Hen and Sleeping Bear which were shrouded in cloud cover, so I'm also posting a photo of the same site that I took in the early spring which shows the formations more clearly.

Sleeping Bear, Setting Hen, Eagle Rock

Before I go any further, I better post a map of Monument Valley that is given out for the tour; I've gone ahead and written in the names of any formations not listed.

Even though I'm going to do two parts on my write up, each posting is going to be rather long and the map gives a good hint on why.

By the way, Monument Valley is spread across two states: Utah and Arizona.












The sun coming from the East will make photographs a little difficult, so apologies if the ones I post are on the hazy side.  In my second posting, I will display a few I took at sunset on another occasion; Monument Valley is dramatic no matter what time of day you're there.  This panorama is on the left side with Brigham's Tomb, The King on His Throne, Stagecoach, Bear and Rabbit, Castle Butte, Big Indian and part of Sentinel Mesa.



Grey Whiskers

After parking at Goulding's Lodge and getting settled on the tour vehicle (sort of like an open air heavy duty bus), we first visited a Hogan...and there's your tease for my write up on Goulding's to come later on.  Off to the Valley we go, and as we get closer to the entrance fee booth, Mitchell Butte and Grey Whiskers will come into sight.  Now our Navajo guide explained to us that Mitchell and Merrick Buttes were named after two miners who came to dig around in the Valley in the 1800s, but were slaughtered by Ute Indians who were in the area also.

Mitchell Butte
 

First stop is the Monument Valley Visitors Center which contains a restaurant, museum and The View hotel; you can also get hooked up with one of the other guided tours there.  While the view from the parking lot back towards the entrance is pretty neat, wait till you see the breath taking view from the patio area and prepare to become speechless.  If you stay at the hotel, the windows of the rooms face out towards the Valley, so no wonder it is simply called "The View".

The Left and Right Mittens, and Merrick Butte together are the iconic view that represents Monument Valley; it is on written material, postcards, book covers, seen in practically every movie and/or commercial filmed in the Valley.  Just a split second glimpse and you immediately know them.  Did you know that there is a small arch in the Left Mitten?  It's not easily seen until you get down onto the Valley floor.  Now remember, the "roads" are primitive; in other words, this will be a very bumpy ride, so lets head on down.

Merrick Butte

Small Arch in the Left Mitten

Sentinel Mesa, Castle Butte

The guide took us up to a flattened area that held many vendor stalls for purchasing handmade Native American jewelry, dream catchers, shields and ceramics.  You'll also have a closer view of The Mittens, and Sentinel Mesa and Castle Butte in the distance.







Camel Butte -  head on

Back on the road, bumping along; Elephant Butte and Camel Butte will be coming up soon.  Let me tell you that the formations in the Valley are huge; I mean make a dinosaur look like a tadpole huge! 




Camel Butte -  side view

Elephant Butte

The Three Sisters will be coming into focus and that means John Ford's Point will be the next "get off the bus and stretch the legs" stop.  John Ford was the film director who basically made John Wayne a star and household name; he loved staying at Goulding's Lodge and making movies in Monument Valley.  Every day, for the tours, a cowboy in a red shirt will ride a beautiful horse out to the Point and pose; it's a nice dramatic effect.  Oh, I forgot to mention, you can do a guided tour by horseback; check at the Visitors Center about that.

Next stop...John Ford's Point.



John Ford's Point



View from John Ford's Point





Cowboy out on the Point





The Three Sisters

You'll also be up front and personal with The Three Sisters; there will be vendor stalls once again and a food wagon selling Navajo Fry Bread. Eating fry bread is a must! Doesn't matter if you've already had a meal, doesn't matter if you are on a diet, you must have fry bread to make this a total experience!

















Back onto the bumpy road towards Central Monument Valley and that is where part one of my story is going to end.  What lays beyond is a further wonderland of formations, arches and petroglyphs, till then...

Central Monument Valley

Beautiful Horses in the Valley

Mary Cokenour

First Time in Monument Valley was a Bust...a Busted Tire That is.

Recently, Roy and I were very fortunate to be able to go on a guided tour of Monument Valley, but that wasn't our first time there.  Well, lets say it wasn't our first time there, but it was the first time we got to see a major part of it.  Alright, lets go back in time to 2009 and the decision to finally get to the Valley.  Then, we only had passenger cars, so decided to take Roy's Grand Am; I had a small digital camera with only 7 pixels, so many of the photos were not the greatest. 

"The Birthday Cake"

Going past the town of Bluff, you have to make sure to pay attention to the road signs. There is a point where Route 191 splits off to the southeast, and you want to continue your travels on Route 163 which goes directly to Monument Valley. The landscape along the twisty road is amazing and eventually you will see a little sign that indicates the entrance to Valley of the Gods. This is a gravel road, so not having a 4 wheel drive vehicle at the time put this on our "to-do" list. Another road recently put on our "to-do" list, and is before you reach Mexican Hat, is Route 261; Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park and the 3 miles of switchbacks called the "Moki Dugway" eventually end you up at Route 95 and near Natural Bridges National Monument.





Digressing here; you know you're getting near to the little town of Mexican Hat when you see, well what else, the Mexican Hat formation.   There is a pull in spot along Route 163 for photos, or you can travel the gravel road that goes directly to the formation itself.  The town of Mexican Hat is also your last rest stop/gas up the vehicle place before you reach Monument Valley.



After passing Mexican Hat, the landscape takes on a more intense look; walls of rock with "waves" or "goosenecks" carved by wind and rain; formations large and small; and then in the distance you begin to see the outskirts of the Valley.  Your heart may skip a beat or two in excitement and anticipation.

Warning!  Drivers will become overwhelmed by the sight of Monument Valley; all common sense and knowledge about the rules of the road will go completely out of their heads.  Keep a distance from vehicles as they will make a sudden stop directly on the road or pull off with screeching tires onto gravel lined, unlevel viewpoints.  Passengers with cameras are likely to walk onto the road without a single glance in either direction for moving vehicles.  Consider yourself warned.

I will admit that we were one of those drivers who suddenly pulled onto one of those gravel lined viewpoints and I bet that is how we got our busted tire....but the story continues.

As you get closer to the Valley, the road still gives a twist here and there, but it is when you go over that last hump that the most glorious site fills your eyes.  It is that classic scene from movies, like "Forrest Gump", that most have seen and wished to see up close and personal...we got that chance.  The sight is simply amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

As you get closer, it just keeps getting better and better!

 

 

Eventually you will reach a crossroad, one way is the entrance to Monument Valley where you'll pay your fee ($5 per person), go to the Visitors' Center, check in at the View Hotel (if you're staying there), go on a self guided tour, or one of the guided tours.  Another way is towards Goulding's and I'll be writing about that at another time; but I highly recommend one of the guided tours they run...great experience!  Of course you can continue on straight along Route 163 into Arizona and wherever it is you're traveling onto.

Anyway, we paid our fee, parked at the Visitor's Center and looked over the Valley from the terrace.  Indescribably beautiful; again a classic photo scene...The Left and Right Mittens, and Merrick Butte.  No photo can do it complete justice, especially once you've seen them directly in front of you.

Left Mitten

Right Mitten

We were getting ready to do the self guided tour when we saw it; one of the car's tires had split, the rubber that is.  No way were we going to attempt the tour; there was no where to get a new tire, so the only option was to limp home and get it repaired in Monticello.  Talk about disappointment!

Then again, it was a blessing of sorts also.  The self guided tour is very short; if you want to get a more intense experience, then you have to go on one of the guided tours.  Basically, most of the roads are either private (yes, people do live in the Valley as they have for centuries), or only accessible via a guided tour.  Oh, the roads down there, yeah, about that; honestly, unless you are a complete maniac and truly hate your vehicle..do the guided tour.  First off, someone else is doing the driving for you; second, the Navajo guides are wonderful, and why not, it is their heritage they're telling you about.  You'll hear stories and information that no guide book has, related in proud voices.

This is not the last story about Monument Valley, you can bet good money on that.

Mary Cokenour