3/9/23 Remember to click on photo to see enlarged print.
Camping now in Valley of the Gods (UT). Part of Bear’s Ear National Monument, just north of the Monument Valley (UT) where we were yesterday. Last night we stayed at the primitive dispersed camping at the Gooseneck State Park (which is just a lookout to the canyon). Spectacular day.
I have been expecting crowds but for some reason (the cold?) folks are not roaming to these more off the beaten (big RV destination) tracks. This is BLM land and for those that aren’t aware of the agency (it’s huge) it is The Bureau of Land Management. An enormous area of land almost exclusively west of the Mississippi. Federal land. The lands are open to all people to go anywhere there are preexisting roads and camp (there are BLM rules one must follow).
This agency:
https://www.blm.gov/
Recreation Maps
https://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f0da4c7931440a8a80bfe20eddd7550
Having left the Valley de Chelly we moved on to Monument Valley which is in Navajo lands, taking the opportunity to sample the Navajo Taco (made with fry bread rather than a tortilla) and oh my word it is good. The Navajo Nation runs the access route. It is a two hour, 18 mile dirt road where one just leaves the jaw dropped for the whole loop. They manage how many vehicles/type can go in metered to keep the experience unhurried. The color can’t be described without a camera and a good eye for light timing. Some places seem to literally ‘turn on’ when the sun hits them; a few moments later that spectacular image is gone and another one waits in the wing. It is easy to want to just set up a chair and sit. Besides the wind and occasional bird it is so quiet. There is no trouble getting the deep visceral feeling of the power the place had on the ancients. That message seems so loud one would need to be ‘heart-deaf’ not to feel. Definitely one of the top highlights of the trip.
And, if that’s not enough, we went to camp at Gooseneck (San Juan River). An iconic image of a serpentine river gorge carved over a hundred million years. There we were camped at the top looking in. There were 3 other campers there spread out along the rim so far they looked like specks. We camped back from the rim as there was forecast wind for the night.
It is a geological wonder with so many shades of green/brown/red/black soils all in wavy layers exposed by time, carved by water. Again light from moment to moment changes the same scene as though it were completely new. You can see what Ansel Adams was held captive by; land he so perfectly was able to capture even in B&W. Add color and words aren’t possible.
On again to where we are as I type here… Valley of the Gods. As words can’t describe the actual what does hit you is the space/quiet/age. Age is thrown right at you. Like looking at a giant tree who has seen so much pass under it these exposed layers of time/change tells you nothing stays the same, ever…. it all happened in concert over millions of years leaving the pattern of its sap slow change for one to take in as a whole. Like a slo-mo Tai-chi posture.
Camping in a spot like this allows you to be able to think about what it makes you feel. That is better than a photo. Sort of like that old saying: You will probably not remember what a person said, but you will remember how they made you feel. When I was standing in line for our $20 ice creams in Sedona, the lady in front of me turned and said “I’m going for a helicopter ride” and at first I almost let out a pithy response but I restrained myself. She then said “I’ll be able to see all of the canyon in less than an hour!” …. and all I could do was say “gee”. Like buying “air in a can” to take home.
For those who know me it is not a surprise I bought a hat. Yes I have as many caps as Imelda Marcos had shoes. Not sure how I started but it seems to be one of the only piece of clothing I consciously choose, the rest just seems to be acquired without thought. Well I got me a new one! Black with a 2” circular emblem of the Navajo Nation on the front. Oh Boy! Very similar to the Alaska one for the Arctic Circle. My mission to the West is now complete. I will say I have also branched out to decals to stick on the camper back. They are almost as fun as hats.
We stay here in the Valley of the Gods probably a couple nights. From here we will have to keep south of a very active east-west weather line dumping rain and snow coast to coast in waves which seem to be separated by 3-4 days. Like catching a wave surfing we gotta line up the camper to jump into that weather wave in one of those calm periods and ride it east.
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