John and I had a bad case of cabin fever, so we took a long weekend to explore even more of the surrounding parks. There are so many natural wonders within driving distance, I don't know if we'll ever see them all while we're living in Colorado.
Thursday evening we took off for Moab, Utah, where we stayed the night so we could get to Canyonlands National Park at sunrise. This was not my idea! John wanted to get a sunrise picture at Mesa Arch. We were up at 4:30 a.m. ... It's very cold that morning, and we pull up to the view point around 5:30 or so where we meet many cars. It's our luck that the Brigham Young University photo class is at the arch before we get there and there's about 30 kids in the "prime" photo positions. John jockeyed his way into position and managed to get some phenomenal shots. He's becoming quite the photographer.
Mesa Arch - Canyonlands National Park - Sunrise
View through Mesa Arch - Canyonlands
We then explored Canyonlands, which is a great park, however I wouldn't say it's a must see. If you're ever in Moab, you must go to Arches. On the other hand, I'm surrounded by so many spectacular natural wonders, I may be a bit jaded when it comes to which natural wonders I prefer.
Me and John - Canyonlands
Acting like a goofball (it's natural) - Canyonlands
By 9 a.m. we had been through Canyonlands and started our trek to Monument Valley. We went through a number of tiny towns including Mexican Hat, which is named after the rock formation, and Bluff, Utah. Here we stopped for lunch. The restaurant was directly under the Twin Rocks and was aptly named Twin Rocks Cafe. I had the best hamburger on Navajo Frybread. Delish! The bread is like a Mexican dessert bread without the sugar and honey. I strongly encourage you to give it a try. I should've taken a picture!
Mexican Hat Rock Formation outside of Mexican Hat, Utah
The Twin Rocks - Bluff, Utah
Finally we arrive at Monument Valley to stay at Goulding's Lodge, which began in the early 20th century. The Gouldings settled there originally as sheep traders and then Mr. Goulding established a trading post with the Navajo. During the Depression, the Goulding's approached Hollywood with pictures of the Monument Valley area in hopes of John Ford directing his Westerns in the area. It was a smart move ... the first movie starred a young John Wayne.
Goulding's Lodge - Monument Valley, Utah - Can you believe the view?! The lodge had a museum, theater that played John Wayne movies, delicious restaurant, indoor pool and tours available of the park.
Stay tuned ... I'll fill you in on the rest of the trip in future posts.
4 comments:
Awesome, brings back great memories! You must try the Navajo pizza on fry bread at Twin Rocks....Yummy!!
I love John's pic under the arch with sun starburst. I've seen this photo many times online but I do say that John's is one of the best I've ever seen! The little pockets of snow really give it some oomph :)
Oops I didn't realize that Hal was signed in ...that was actually me (karen) commenting
John's pictures are FANTASTIC! Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing your trips with all of us. MOM
I think John did take some fantastic pictures, especially after having to squeeze in to get a good shot. And I agree, his photo is just as good or better than those that are published!
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