I didn't sleep well that night and did not feel rested in the morning. In fact, I was feeling kinda sick. I had a slight fever simmering and a slightly sore throat. I had caught a bug somehow over the previous 24 hours and was a little concerned about how much driving I had to do on day three of our journey. On top of that, Jenny was also feeling sick and exhausted.
Our planned goal was to head over to Canyon de Chelly, then The Painted Desert & Petrified Forest, then Meteor Crater, and finally roll into Sedona by night fall. We decided to tweak the agenda and take advantage of our northern location. Instead of "plan A" we opted to head northeast into Utah and take the scenic road through Mexican Hat and Bluff, then swing around into Colorado, clip the corner of New Mexico and stop by Four Corners. It made sense, and it was a golden opportunity to see these sites as we were in no hurry to leave this region with its incredible landscapes.
And so into Utah we went, and as we left Monument Valley I looked in my rearview and saw the rocks in the distance and realized that entering Monument Valley from the Utah side is a more dramatic entrance. You come around a bend and over a small crest and you are welcomed by a whole line of great buttes along the horizon.
We continued onward past the community of Mexican Hat, a unique town that for the most part sits along the ledge of a river ravine. It is named after a nearby butte that looks like a man in a large sombrero.
Bluff, UT was also a charming small town just west of the middle of nowhere. Twin buttes stood near the turn off toward Colorado. They are impressive rocks and distracted me enough that I missed the turn. We winded upward through a small canyon and upon emerging, my innate male sense of navigation informed me we were not on the right road. (It should be noted that this sense was still operational despite my weakened and sick condition.) Without stopping to ask for directions, we turned around and proceeded down through the small canyon, said hello again to the twin buttes, and took the correct road toward Colorado, then into The Land of Enchantment.
There was a beautiful monument set up marking Four Corners. People were lined up to take their respective pictures at the very point where four states meet. Surrounding it were multiple Native American vending stands were Navajo jewelry and paraphernalia abounded. We took some pictures and had a quick bite to eat - some Navajo Tacos - and headed out and back to the Grand Canyon State.
At this point Jenny was feeling terrible, and we needed to wait a little bit before moving on because she felt nauseous, but she persevered and we drove the road toward Chinle, the gateway to Canyon de Chelly.
Upon arriving at Canyon de Chelly, the drive was already taking its toll. Jenny and I were feeling exhausted and sick, and Mom was tiring as well. We very much enjoyed the beauty of the canyon and bought some handmade Navajo stone paintings from one of the young artisans that waited at one of the overlook turnoffs. We opted not to hike down into the canyon, as it took all our energy just to walk to the various overlooks on the south side of Canyon de Chelly. We were determined though, and made it to every overlook.
It was amazing to see the small residences located in the base of the canyon, as well as the ruins that were dotted throughout the canyon, built into the steep rock walls - the picturesque simple life complete with small farms and goat and sheep herds, and it seemed like it would be a wonderful place to live... until I thought about all the tourists standing up on the ridges day after day, endlessly watching you, snapping pictures... and blogging about it later.
We left Canyon de Chelly ready for some dinner, but were well behind schedule and dining options were few in Chinle, so we stopped in at Burger King and ate on the road. The food gave me some renewed energy along with renewed optimism that I'd be able to make the drive all the way to Sedona.
The sun was setting as we made it to I40 and realized we would not be able to stop to see The Painted Desert, Petrified Forest nor Meteor Crater; but this was ok with us. We had discussed earlier when we opted to head over to Four Corners that it's best to catch the distant locations while we were in the area, as it's easier to see the closer locations on a day trip at a later date, so missing these scenic destinations along I40 was not a huge problem; besides, in our physical state at that moment, we wouldn't have had the energy to see them anyway. We were three exhausted desert travelers trying to reach a far destination on a hot, sun-scorched day.
As we put Holbrooke behind us, my previous optimism had all but faded, and I wasn't sure I'd have the energy to drive the remainder of the way. I was the only one listed as a driver on the rental, so I was determined to get us to our destination. (On a side note - We found out later that it's not the rental agreement technically that determines who can drive the car, but the insurance policy of the driver.) But at the time we thought I was the only one who could legally drive the rental.
I pulled over at a gas station and got a Dr. Pepper and told Mom and Jenny that I needed them to stay awake as well and keep the conversation going so I could remain alert and awake. They toughed it out and obliged, and after one more stop in Munds Park, we were able to roll into Sedona just in time to check in at our hotel before the lobby closed at 11 that night. We all went right to sleep. I was so tired, I was sure I'd get some good sleep finally.
The next morning we slept in and felt much better. We took our time in Sedona and enjoyed the red rock vistas and discovered a couple new shops in uptown Sedona. We also stopped in at Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art. I always enjoy visiting this gallery and have known a few on the staff for years. It's a great gallery that inspires every time I visit. Mom and Jenny enjoyed all the incredible works of art as well.
Before leaving town we had some great Mexican food at the Javelina Cantina near the Hillside galleries and shops, and then we set off toward Phoenix. I17 is a beautiful drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix, especially as it winds down through Bumble Bee and into Black Canyon City and Rock Springs, the proud home of Rock Springs Cafe and its world famous pies. Obviously, a stop was in order.
One boxed up Coconut Cream and one Tennessee Lemon pie later we hit the road for the final decent into the Valley, concluding a memorable journey chock full of the beautiful landscapes, inspiring views, and majestic monuments - stalwart regulars on the list of all things Arizona. As great a state Texas is, I miss the incredible contrasting natural wonders of the 48th state. I guess if Yogi Berra were to speak for me, he'd probably say something like: "I'm so proud to call Arizona my home, and I look forward to living there someday."
