Leaving Kirtland heading west on Highway 64 we found ourselves on a roller coaster ride.
Just before continuing on Highway 160 west we came to Tec Nos Pos.
Not far from there is Four Corners Monument where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona come together. The sun was high in the sky and no matter how we turned there was always a shadow for the photo.
Not too crowded while we were there so not much of a wait for our turn to stand where the states meet.
There are vendors selling Indian jewelry and crafts. The booths are set up in a square, each side in a different state. The Monument is maintained by the Navajo Nation as a tourist attraction. You pay $5 per person to enter.
Highway 160 continues the roller coaster ride now amid the slick rock.
Soon it was red rock. This is "Baby Rocks" aka "Baby Rocks Mesa" in Navajo County; named for the wind and rain eroded walls that seemingly have formed thousands of "babies" hanging onto them.
We passed volcanic plugs. I had to look that up when we were at Shiprock. It is created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if rising volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption.
There they are. Those red cliffs make my heart skip a beat. Turning north on 163 at Kayenta puts us close to our destination.
Our destination is ahead. Goulding's at Monument Valley.
Glad we had a reservation. They just kept coming and coming. Not all got a spot.
Who wouldn't want to stay here? Look at that view out my window.
We got set up and still had some daylight exploring time left.
But, first we wanted to sign up for the Monument Valley tour. I had done a little research and found that we could do the 17 mile tour in the Navigator. It said that the road is rough and Walt doesn't mind driving rough roads. Then I read about the cars that were damaged or had tire failure so I started to think maybe we should do a tour. Then...........the clinchers. The tours are led by a Navajo guide so you get their perspective and most of the roads are either private (yes, people do live in the Valley as they have for centuries), or only accessible via a guided tour. Oh and the roads down there! We still love the Navigator so we will let someone else do the driving. We scheduled an afternoon tour the next day.
On to explore the Goulding's Story. Goulding’s features a lodge, campground, stores, restaurant, and a museum. It dates back to 1921 when Harry Goulding and his bride Leone (nicknamed Mike) purchased 640 acres and started life in a 10 x 20 foot tent. They eventually built a two story stone structure with a trading post on the first floor and living quarters on the second.
The original structure is now a museum. I was very impressed by the living quarters. Very comfortable and pleasing to the eye. Like the Navajos who had settled there, Harry and his wife also ran sheep. And then came the Depression, hitting the valley and leaving the inhabitants destitue. There was a terrible drought in 1934 and then another one in 1936. Income from the trading post diminished to virtually nothing.
In 1938 Harry Goulding made a brave move. Harry learned that United Artists was looking to film a Western on location. Armed with his last $60 and a portfolio of Josef Muench's memorable photographs of Monument Valley he and his wife loaded up their bedrolls and headed to Hollywood. Through amazing perseverance and stars aligning director John Ford saw those photographs of this amazing valley and decided to use Monument Valley as the site for his movie "Stagecoach."
Since Stagecoach dozens of films have used Monument Valley as a setting. Seeing many of them has put the valley on my wish list for a long time. Another dream come true. The movie industry greatly helped the economy of the area and now tourism is big business.
Behind the museum is Captain Nathan Brittles’ Cabin—also called John Wayne’s Cabin. This was actually a potato cellar used by the Gouldings, but director John Ford used it for exterior shots of the personal quarters of the character played by John Wayne in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon .
The Gouldings ran their desert outpost for decades, tending to filmmakers, peddling curios, steadily adding rooms and services. Today you can watch the old movies in the little theatre behind the museum. The movies in the museum are great too. Lots of information about the 1864 deportation of the Navajo people in the area (the "long walk") by the government of the United States of America. Navajos were forced to walk from their land in what is now Arizona to eastern New Mexico. In 1868 after many deaths and tragedies they were allowed to set off on the "long walk" home.
While at the Lodge we had lunch at the Stagecoach Dining Room. The building first started out as a movie prop when John Ford began making movies down in Monument Valley. It then became the mess hall for the movie crews; the cook would prepare the food, ring the bell (still displayed out front) and everyone would come in and eat family style. When tourists began staying at the Lodge, they would eat there; but the Health Department visited one day and stated it was unsafe. The Gouldings tore down the old building and rebuilt a more modern structure with windows that look out upon Monument Valley. Each table includes a beautiful Native American jug for the water. It is heavy and keeps the water cold.
Most of our fellow diners were locals.
The Stagecoach is noted for its Navajo Tacos and it was my choice. It was delicious and the fry bread was perfect.
Walt had the Spicy Pork Green Chile with a side of fry bread. A very nice dining experience.
Those sandstone walls catch and hold my attention.
The prelude to the tour tomorrow was so stunning I am sure my head will be spinning tomorrow.
The sandstone formations glow in the setting sun right outside our door on our return to Gypsy II. Oh, what beauty.