NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT TO GOOSENECKS STATE PARK WITH A MONUMENT VALLEY JEEP SCRAMBLE IN BETWEEN:))

THIS IS SUNDAY APRIL 6TH’S POST.  NO INTERNET SERVICE WHERE WE ARE SO MIGHT NOT GET THIS PUBLISHED UNTIL MONDAY SOMETIME DEPENDING ON WHERE WE GO NEXT, WHEREVER NEXT IS……….:))

SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH-EAST UTAH

Oh how we miss the warming heat of our quiet & fuel efficient Legacy Blue Flame heater.  Problem with our rig’s propane sucking furnace is the blower noise each time it cycles on.  Especially for Kelly who can be awakened by the drop of a pin 3 States away.  The furnace heats the whole coach & this also creates a problem.  I like to sleep in tropical splendor while Kelly prefers to sleep in full Arctic blizzard conditions.  Will be glad to get this heating problem once again resolved at some point. 

 

How nice to see big deep blue skies overhead this morning with old Sol’s warming rays making their way through our rig’s windows.  A nice start to the day. Took Pheebs out for a short walk & had the Winnie wheels rolling by 7:10.   It’s a short paved 9 mile drive back to the highway where a left turn headed us for Kayenta.  I knew there was coffee waiting at a McDonald’s there because I have passed this way before in May of 92 heading the other way.

LAST TIME I WAS HERE IN 92 THE BIG PLAYROOM WAS NOT ON THE FRONT, THE BUILDING WAS WHITE, & THERE WERE A COUPLE HORSES IN THE PARKING LOT DRINKING WATER OUT OF A PUDDLE…I HAVE A COUPLE PHOTOS OF THAT BACK HOME

 

THERE IS NOW A BASHAS, ACE HARDWARE, PLUS A HALF DOZEN OTHER STORES IN THE PARKING LOT WHERE WE’RE PARKED…IN MAY OF 92 IT WAS JUST SCRUB LAND

We knew Kayenta was our route decision point.  Either roll straight through on our originally planned route through Northern New Mexico or head north up to Monument Valley & beyond.  Weather was looking good up that way & I’ve been blathering about Monument Valley for years now so with my left turn signal on we swung the rig’s nose North.  Only a few miles out of Kayenta we topped a rise & there it was, the flat plains & towering spires of the historic & famous Monument Valley itself at long last.  And we were so fortunate to have sunshine today bringing out all the desert rock colors.  And much warmer temperatures too:))

YES INDEED WE HAD JUST ENTERED THE MONUMENT VALLEY AREA

  

BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE WE WERE LAST IN UTAH…08 METHNKS

Just a mighty fine morning drive.  Saw a sign telling us we were entering the State of Utah & saw a second sign saying Goulding.  Kelly remembered a Trading Post.  It was also here at the highway intersection we would later unhook the Jeep for a looping rough & tumble drive through the Navajo’s Monument Valley. 

HEADING FOR THE GOULDING TRADING POST

Kelly breezed through the gift shop while I ambled around taking photos outside.  An old refurbished stone cabin here once used in a John Wayne movie entitled, ‘She Wore A Yellow Ribbon’.   This whole area is well known for Hollywood westerns.  Director John Ford made a few of his movies here.  We weren’t at the trading post long & we were on our way.  Giftless I might add:))

   

JOHN WAYNE’S CABIN NOW & THEN

YEP THAT’S US DOWN THERE WITH MONUMENT VALLEY ON THE HORIZON

Unhooked the Jeep at the fairly new Navajo Nation Welcome center alongside highway 163.  It was 4 miles up a paved road to the large Monument Valley Navajo Travel Park.  Five dollars per adult (no charge for Pheebs) to get in so we paid up & headed out onto one very rocky, pot holed, rutted, furrowed, not to mention dusty 17 mile loop road.  Wow, was this road in bad shape or what.  It made some of our Jeep trips around Congress look pretty tame.  Surprised to see small compact commercial cars slowly bumping & grinding their way along.  Fortunately for a Sunday there was not a lot of them. 

 

 WINDS WERE SURE SWIRLING UP THE DUST

  

 

  

We liked this drive (except for the road) & spent 3 hours making our way in & around the huge rock monoliths.  Nice to see in person what we have always seen so many pictures of.  Ninety five per cent of all the photos I took today were from the drivers seat.  The wind was blowing talcum powder like dust through the valley so bad it seemed like a snow storm at times.   Did not want to get outside into that with my cameras.

 

 

 

No point of me trying to tell you how much we enjoyed what we saw because again it is another one of those places where words are better left to photos.  I can only imagine how beautiful this place is in morning or evening light.   Despite the flatter mid day lighting I did take over 250 photos.  Only able to put a few of those in today’s post but when we get back to Ontario I will do a few additional posts on Monument Valley with more photos.

 

We were back & had the Jeep hooked back onto the rig about 1:30.  We again swung Northwards & this time we had a destination but not before a few more photos along the way.

 

KELLY GOT THIS ONE OF A MEXICAN HAT AS WE WERE COMING THROUGH…..MEXICAN HAT

Saw Gooseneck State Park on the map & that reminded me right away of Pat & Mike McFall.  I remember Mike blogging & talking about Gooseneck a few years ago.  It is one of their favorite overnight stops on their travels between homes in Custer South Dakota & North Ranch, Congress Arizona.  We rolled into Gooseneck about 2:30 this afternoon Mike.  Great place but we didn’t park right next to the cliff because of Pheebs.  Didn’t want her running out the door & sailing over the cliff.  We’re just on the north side of the gravel parking area near the entrance.  So windy here I almost had my 10 gallon Cowboy Hat blowed clear across the San Juan River far below.  Sign says it’s a thousand foot drop to the river.  Probably would have taken me a couple months to retrieve my hat.  Thinking of you guys:))

 

WOW WAS IT EVER WINDY HERE & THAT’S OUR RIG WAY ON THE LEFT

   

On our drive from Congress to the Navajo National Monument a couple days ago we had 3 separate occasions to ask ourselves, ‘could we have made that tight turn in a 37’ rig & our conclusions were ‘no’.  Of course at night while parked we ask ourselves would it be nice to be sitting comfy in a bigger rig right now & the answer of course is always a big ‘YES’.  Decisions, decisions.

KELLY CHECKS OUT THE GOOSENECKS FAR BELOW

New RV full-timers Kathryn & John from WINGS OF DESTINY - RV LIFE have joined us on our travels via our Blog Followers list.  Nice to have you folks aboard & maybe we’ll see you out here rolling through the wild & wooly West one day. 

YEP, THAT’S US WAY OVER THERE ON THE LEFT…FOLKS ON THE RIGHT ARE PARKED RIGHT NEXT TO THE CLIFF DROPPING DOWN INTO THE SAN JUAN RIVER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man who had just undergone a very complicated operation kept complaining about a bump on his head and a terrible headache. Since his operation had been an intestinal one, there was no earthly reason why he should be complaining of a headache.  Finally his nurse, fearing that the man might be suffering from some post-operative shock, spoke to the doctor about it.  The doctor assured the nurse, "Don't worry about a thing. He really does have a bump on his head. About halfway through the operation we ran out of anesthetic."