Utah Rocks Harder Than Any Band.

While "Life Elevated" is the motto of Utah seen on billboards as one enters the state borders; or seen on license plates of vehicles owned by state residents; "Utah Rocks" is another popular motto. North, south, east and west; Utah is the land of formations so fascinating, so astounding, that it makes folks slam on their brakes and simply stare in paralyzed wonder. Yeah, that's a bad thing though for it causes many accidents, so please pull off to the side of the roadway quickly.

Many visitors come to Utah with the express purpose of seeing only the National and State Parks; and that's a great thing.  However, don't limit yourself; give yourself time to drive leisurely throughout the state and prepare to be blown away quicker than standing in front of a wind machine at any concert.

My version of "Utah Rocks", for this post, will be focusing on the southern end of Route 191 and Route 163 through Monument Valley.  Looking at the map, follow the green highlighted road.

As you can see from the above map, there is loads to see in this lower section of San Juan County.  Route 191 and Route 163 do a bit of a "twist and shout" dance about 10 miles outside of Bluff, heading south.  The first area you'll drive through as you leave Bluff is Comb Ridge.

Comb Ridge extends north to south for 80 miles; the northern tip merging with the Abajo Mountains, over the San Juan River, and into Arizona.  It was designated a National Monument in 1976; is named due to the indentations of the walls resemble the teeth of a comb; and is home to ruins of the ancient Puebloans.  Route 163 was created by blasting out a portion of the Ridge, making travel easier to and from Monument Valley.  We've hiked a small portion and can't seem to get tired of any of it...the walking nor the sites.

You've got a choice here, you can keep on heading down Route 163 through Mexican Hat and finally into Monument Valley; or make the turn onto Route 191, down to Arizona, go towards Kayenta and back up to Monument Valley.  It's a "rock" star loop whichever way you decide to take; for this post, it's down Route 191 to get a better viewing of Boundary Butte.


Boundary Butte is a volcanic plug, similar to Agathla Peak in Monument Valley or Shiprock in New Mexico. It was formed when magma hardened inside the vent of an active volcano; further weathering helped to form its "fin" like structure.

At the end of Route 191, and you've been in Arizona for a bit now, make a left onto Route 160 West towards Kayenta and then a right onto Route 163 North.  In about twenty minutes, Monument Valley will be coming into view; a huge hint is Agathla Peak and directly across from it is The Owl.

Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park; they charge their own fees, so National Park Passes are not accepted; going on a guided tour is HIGHLY recommended.  Now every once in a while I get asked, "Hey, do know of any back roads I can use to sneak into Monument Valley, and not pay the fee?"  My answer to that is, "You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?"  The fee was increased April 2014 to $10 per person, or $20 per car load; the price on tours is dependent on which tour group you use.  Pay the fee!   Don't sneak onto the land and get shot!  Driving along Route 163, you will see much of Monument Valley's spectacular formations, including The Mittens and Merrick Butte.

Coming up from the south (Arizona) towards Utah.

The Mittens, viewed from Arizona Route 163.

Monument Valley, Utah side of Route 163.



Castle Rock, King on His Throne, Brigham's Tomb

Setting Hen and Sleeping Bear

Setting Hen

Sleeping Bear

Three Sisters seen in the distance

"Utah Rocks" harder and louder than any rock band known to man...come on in and feel the music!

Mary Cokenour

Baby Rocks and Volcanic Plugs in Arizona.

Yesterday I described how Route 160 in Colorado merges with Route 491 as you travel southward towards New Mexico; how it breaks off and goes towards Arizona. Another time I described being on Route 163, traveling over the Utah-Arizona border to junction Route 160...yep, same Route 160. Route 160 West has much to see along it, and it does lead to the road for the Grand Canyon. Today's post is about taking Route 160 from Kayenta, Arizona and meeting that Route 491 merge; look at the map I posted yesterday and it will all come into focus.

Alright, lets get on the road, shall we?  At the junction of Routes 160 and 163, make the left and begin heading eastward; as you travel along you will see many volcanic plugs, not as large as Agathla Peak, but still pretty impressive.  Imagination time!  Imagine being back in prehistoric times, the earth is rocking and rolling, forming its peaks, valleys, seas; the sky blackened with the smoke from thousands of volcanoes erupting.  Molten lava launches upward as it spews out from the ground, earth rises upwards also and begins to cool, forming hills and mountains.  The lava flows downwards along the cooled earth forming crevices and wrinkles within it; the tops seal off forcing the lava to seek out other areas of escape...the volcanic plug is born.

About 5 minutes in travel time from Kayenta, you'll see an area of very interesting sandstone formations; fenced off to keep visitors from climbing around, but a pull in area to stop and take photos.  Welcome to "Baby Rocks" aka "Baby Rocks Mesa" in Navajo County; named for the wind and rain eroded walls that seemingly have formed thousands of "babies" hanging onto them.  Along the top of the mesa, the formations resemble "urns" lined up along a shelf or fireplace mantel.  A larger formation near the front, and that is what caught my attention outright, resembles a "priest bowing before nuns".  This site was definitely unexpected.



"Urns along a shelf or mantel"

"Priest bowing before nuns"

Only about 10 to 15 miles of the trip is sandstone formations and volcanic plugs; the rest is going to be flat, often very boring desert and stone virtually meeting the horizon.  There will be a tiny, and I mean barely populated, town here and there, but nothing to stop for really.  The road to Canyon de Chelly is Route 191 South; going northward would bring you to Bluff, Utah; this will be the first main junction you will see along Route 160.

 

 

The entire trip the sky taunted us with a mixture of clear to stormy; the rain intermittent, so by the time we reached the entrance to the Four Corners National Monument, torrential rain finally decided to make its appearance. Back home to Monticello, Utah we went, but overall we felt that this was another grand adventure seeing sites whose existence we had no clue about before.





Mary Cokenour

If Two Routes Merge, Are the Formations Any Less Dramatic?

Well the answer to that question is a definite "No!". Routes 491 and 160 in Southwestern Colorado merge near Cortez; while 160 breaks off to continue on through Arizona and eventually lead to Monument Valley, 491 continues southward into New Mexico. I better post one of my favorite maps of the Four Corners, so you can see exactly what I'm describing.

Once you begin driving down Route 491/160 towards New Mexico, it won't be long before you notice how much more rural looking the area looks.  There won't be anyplace to stop for gas, drinks or food until you reach the Welcome Center/Exxon Station in Towaoc; next door to the largest business in this town, Ute Mountain Casino.   While I personally don't think much of the casino, I attribute that to being spoiled by spending a weekend, once a year, in Atlantic City after it was rebuilt and revitalized.  Hubby and I definitely dislike their adjacent restaurant, Kuchu's, but once again, that's our personal tastes.



Squaw and Papoose

The landscape is going to become more desert like as you continue driving southward; more sand and rock with very little plant life.  The first formation that stood out was, I believe, Head Draw Mesa; well I believe it's that name by the location on the DeLorme Atlas and Gazette of Colorado.  Directly next to it is a rock formation called "Squaw and Papoose" and it is an eye catcher.



Head Draw Mesa, frontal view

Head Draw Mesa, frontal and partial side view

Head Draw Mesa, full side view

 





Chimney Rock (Route 491, Colorado)

At the point where Route 160 turns off to head towards Arizona, there is a formation that is simply stupendous...Chimney Rock.  This is located on the Southern Ute Reservation (Colorado side); if you look for information on a Search Engine, be prepared to find references to a Chimney Rock in many states, and even one in Canada.   Basically, if you are interested in amazing formations, this will be one you'll need to pull over for and take photos.

 

Chimney Rock (Route 491, Colorado)

After crossing the state line into New Mexico, the barren landscape will continue; an interesting formation may be in the distance here and there, but no road to get nearer though.   Now even though it was visible from the Route 160 separation point, Shiprock is in itself another amazing formation.  Shiprock is a volcanic plug, similar to Algatha Peak in Monument Valley, and very sacred to the Navajo.  By the way, it can also be seen from Mesa Verde, a point just beyond the old Visitors Center and Far View Hotel.   In the Navajo language, the name of this peak translates to "rock with wings" or "winged rock"; referring to the giant bird that carried the Navajo from the cold north to the warmer desert area.  When the white settlers came to the area, they called it "Ship Rock" as it resembled the sails on a Clipper ship.  Any photo I have ever taken of Shiprock, no matter how sharp the image to the eye, no matter how close I have come to it, always has a misty look to it.  I figure it this way, when it is ready to allow me a sharp, clear image, then it will; until then I'm going to be happy with whatever shot I get of it.

Shiprock

When traveling throughout the Four Corners area, always make sure your gas tank is full, you have plenty of bottled water, and that your camera is ready.  You never know what spectacular site is just around the corner, or straight down the road.

Mary Cokenour