I didn't feel good about putting a ton of miles on Mom's car, so we rented one, a Chrysler Sebring sedan, and we headed out of Phoenix just after noon on a Wednesday.
Our first stop was at Montezuma's Castle - an astonishing remnant of Sinagua architecture. It's an amazing site to see built in the side of a carved out mountainside, and fed by the spring waters from the nearby well. I'm not going to attempt to wax eloquent in my descriptions of these beautiful sites since I'll need my strength and army of adjectives for Monument Valley. May I just say that these sites are very much worth the trip and bring a greater appreciation for the ancient civilizations that once lived there.
We ended up in Flagstaff the first night and had dinner at Black Bart's Steakhouse - known for its singing waiters and waitresses. The food is good but expensive, and the atmosphere is fun, although more on the mild side during midweek, I'd say. We capped off the evening by saying a quick hello to Saturn through the giant telescopes at Lowell Observatory.
The next morning we headed north into the Navajo Nation, and stopped first outside of Tuba City to see some dinosaur tracks and fossils. I was amazed that there were so many! The dino-geek in me was thrilled to learn that one of the tracks belonged to Allosaurus, a childhood favorite; but arguably the most impressive fossils were those representing dinosaur dung. Our guide predicted that the site will eventually be an official tribal park, but at the time it was out in the open with nothing around it but a couple tables where the guides were also selling some of their handmade jewelry, showcasing some beautiful turquoise, among other precious stones, silver, and carved shells. We were assured that fossilized feces was not incorporated in their designs.
After a pit stop in Tuba City, we continued on through Kayenta. Now... allow me to try and paint a picture of my mindset at this moment as we left Kayenta and approached Monument Valley. I was completely ready to burst with anticipation, like a kid on Christmas morning. I was fidgeting in the driver's seat, soooo excited to catch a glimpse of the first towering butte. This has been a dream of mine for years; and that dream became even stronger - almost desperate - to visit Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, or "The Valley of the Rocks", as the resident Navajos call it, ever since I moved away from Arizona.
I'm not totally certain as to why some of these sites in Arizona affect me in such a way, but it's been like this ever since I returned to Arizona from the lush, tropical, full-of-life, green landscapes of Brazil. I remember flying in to Phoenix and seeing the beige landscape, stepping out into the bright desert sunshine and breathing in the dry air, and seeing the rugged peaks high in the distance. Even though I had lived most my life in Arizona, it was if I was seeing it for the first time, through new eyes, and ever since then it the state's beauty doesn't cease to amaze me.
So as we drove over the crest of a small hill and saw the first butte In Monument Valley, my jaw hit the floor and I felt an incredible rush. And if I remember right, the three of us were cheering like banshees as we entered the valley of monuments.
We pulled over a few times to take some quick pictures before we drove to Gouldings Lodge. We got there just in time to check in and catch the final tour of the day. I highly recommend taking an official tour, as you get to go further into the valley, along the backroads and see some of the residential hogans of those living among the buttes as well as some fantastic petroglyphs and rock formations.
It's difficult for me to capture in words the majesty of Monument Valley. It completely blew my mind how beautiful and inspiring this special place is. Of all the many appropriate adjectives to describe The Valley of the Rocks, "majestic" would be the foremost description that comes to mind. The awe that you feel while in the valley is all around you and permeates your very core, and you can't take your eyes off the beautiful rocks. It's incredibly hypnotic, and in those moments I begin to understand what "communing with nature" is. My mission president once told me that the feelings we experience in those moments at such places are the Spirit of The Creator. It's truly a spiritual experience, and one can feel the love God has for his children in creating such beauties of Earth for us to enjoy.
I place Monument Valley up there with the Grand Canyon as a must see and a more than worthy item on anyone's bucket list. I'm grateful I was able to share this experience with loved ones and will always remember it.
