Greeted the day to realize that the breakfast larder was nearly empty. Luckily there was still
some coffee left, but I fueled up with a tortilla, cheese, and tomato sprinkled with“Smack Yo Momma” hot pepper spice.
The Bruiser had another oil transfusion, this time with a
new filter. (Otherwise it’s kind of like having a bath and putting on old
underwear. But I digress). The point is we have covered two oil changes worth of mileage so far. I'm starting to look at the rear tire that was brand new when we left and it is showing considerable wear.
We wound our way along hwy 160 to the town of Kayenta where I picked up some groceries (I’d really prefer to have oatmeal for breakfast) and of course I posted my daily blog and read my emails which I appreciate so much.
Even in the modern era, Navajos still like to ambush people. Every time I climbed off the bike someone wanted a handout or wanted me to buy something. Natives have control over much of the land in this region and they like to set up a fee station whenever there is something we might like to see.
Even in the modern era, Navajos still like to ambush people. Every time I climbed off the bike someone wanted a handout or wanted me to buy something. Natives have control over much of the land in this region and they like to set up a fee station whenever there is something we might like to see.
Four Corners is a case
in point. It is nothing more than a surveyed point on the ground common to Utah,
Colorado, Arizona
and New Mexico.
Five bucks to see it. I’m sorry. They don’t know who they are dealing with. I’m
a pensioner and I’ve got attitude.
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| Big deal. |
Kayenta is the starting point to the marvelous Monument Valley, a collection of red mesas and rock spires that is an iconic symbol of the Southwest and a place I have been hankering to visit for a long time.
Geologically, they are erosional remnants. The earth doesn’t actually make these pillars
of rock, it whittles everything else away and these are what are left. Rather like the
last piece of cake on your plate.
The main road, hwy 191, goes reasonably close to these things,
but with the perpetual haze in the air they always look small and vague. To get
closer... well, let’s just say the Navajos run tours to bring you up close and
personal, or else you could drive into a little village which is situated right in the thick
of it, but it is a fee area. (For my view on that sort of thing, see above). But I spotted a dirt road that headed directly up to a collection of rock spires and I thought I
would get clever and check it out. After about 100 metres of dirt the surface abruptly turned to deep sand and after a bit of a Watusi we
nearly dumped. I’m not actually sure how we managed to keep upright but very grateful we didn't.
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| Mexican Hat. |
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| The Bruiser arrives in Monument Valley |
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| Church Rock is the exposed throat of an ancient volcano that has otherwise weathered completely away. The magma that filled that vent is more resistant to erosion than the rock it intruded. |
In any case, I filled my eyes with geology and magnificent landscapes
and took a few hundred pictures to show you all later. At the town of Mexican Hat I turned
west on Hwy 261. After a few miles along a flat plain I could see the road was
heading straight into the wall of a 1200 foot cliff. Where is that going, I sez to myself.
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| We're going up that? How? |
Unbelievably, the road went straight up the face of the bloody thing!
Pavement ends and the road narrows and threads its way up a 10% grade with
nearly 180 degree switchbacks. As some of you may know I have developed what I will
call a deep respect for heights. Hugging the rock face as tightly as I could so
that I was unable to look down—WAY down—we crawled our way up in first gear. This was possibly the most hair raising, sphincter tightening drive I have ever done. I didn’t know they could
make roads like that!
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| Here is a side view of a neighbouring plateau that resembles the one we climbed. |
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| Looking down when pausing to breathe again. Note the switchback road below us |
The road flattened out at the top of the plateau and resumed to
highway speed limit. After a short while I encountered a cowboy on horseback
driving a herd of cattle down the middle of the road, apparently in the
direction of that hairpin descent to hell!
I considered waiting around to see how it went, but the truth is I would have been
unable to watch anyway so I set a course instead for Natural Arches
National Monument.
We arrived late in the afternoon and had time enough to drive the
looping road to the various overlooks. Unfortunately the only campground was
small and full. Rocky and The Bruiser have the capacity to be resourceful in such
situations. I remembered an access road to a hiking area just a few miles back,
so we backtracked to it. Being mindful of the sign that warns that the red clay
road is impassible when wet, and casting a prayerful eye to the rain gods
overhead, in we went and in short order found a great little spot to set up for
the night. The late day sun lights up these brick red hills that surround me
and the temperature drops immediately as it dips over the hills. Almost 8000
feet here.
Well, I must go dress for bed now!
