July 29 Monument Valley

 

The manager at the RV park in Bluff, Utah, was horrified when we said we were going to Monument Valley. The road was terrible, she said. It would wreck the car, she said. Go to Valley of the Gods, it’s just as good, she said. She doesn’t know us. If we’d been wishy-washy about going to Monument Valley in the first place, that would have cinched it. Now we’d have to go. I can’t say how many horrible roads we’ve traveled because someone said not to do it, and we’ve had a great time doing it. Monument Valley was no exception. So, the road wasn’t graded, paved and smooth as glass.  In fact, it was pot-holed and sandy but our car and all the others we saw driving the circle through the valley managed to survive just fine.  This is West and East Mitten and Merrick Butte which guard the entrance to the valley.     We drove through Valley of the Gods after spending quite a few hours in Monument Valley.  Pretty in its own way, but no comparison to Monument Valley.  I can’t think of a time when we haven’t been glad we ignored the doom and gloom sayers and taken the terrible road.  Some day we might end up in a ditch, but that will make a good story, too.

Could there possibly be a vista that is more iconic of the American West? There were rain shafts and dark black clouds over the valley when we arrived, so we stopped at Gouldings Trading Post first to let the storm pass, and ended up standing on the porch watching a spectacular cloud burst with lightning and thunder.  The British family who were watching with us said it was nice that someone staged a sound and light show just for them. This is the view from Artists’ Point.  I’d sit there and paint any day! This was another spot well loved by the Europeans, as well as Japanese and Chinese.  We came across one other family speaking standard American English among the horde of visitors sounding like the UN in full session, and turns out they were from Canada.