Monuments and A Monument

 October 19 - 22, 2025

Monument Valley, AZ/UT

PHOTO OVERLOAD WARNING!

A lovely start to a lovely drive.

We always had good luck with Plans B and C, etc. That luck continues for this trip and its changes. The weather is perfect, and the natural beauty a gift for the eyes and spirit. All two-lane roads with no pull-outs that feel safe for PJ means stopping at the few gas stations to take a break, but I forget about the rez dogs! No outside break for Tessa. And since they're far apart they're all packed. It's weird since there aren't many vehicles on the road (guess they're all at the stations!). Past Tuba City the views get better and better. Heading out of Kayenta the red rock screams Utah.

The unique terrain makes the drive go quickly.

The same place Jeff and I stopped last year - a long-closed station provides a needed break.

Preambles to the magic of the valley along the highway.

Should I want to come out of retirement in Kayenta.....

I always have a strong emotional response to the monuments. That first sighting of the familiar figures pulls my heart, calms my soul. I'm so glad I'm here!

Every. Single. Time.

For decades Gouldings RV Park was the only public campground in the area, and the only one with hookups. A few years ago KOA opened a Journey right on Hwy 163, in the middle of the valley. It seemed like a horrible idea to me as I was sure the big yellow signs and structures would take away from the feel of the valley. I was wrong. 

Instead this campground looks more like a sheep camp that takes nothing from the beauty of the place. Nothing tall or "city" looking. I highly recommend staying here when you visit. It is special.

The RV park includes native-guided horseback tours. This view of the stables is my front yard.

My first sunset.

I'm surprised to learn that at about the same time, the Navajo Nation purchased Gouldings. The KOA shares profits with the Nation as well as tax income. Later in the week I wish a similar agreement was made in Chinle, AZ. 

This stop on our route is to visit Navajo NM. Here for three nights, I can also revisit the Navajo Tribal Park as well as explore a new area of the valley. Wanting to see the monuments in the afternoon light, on our first morning I head out on a dirt road west of Gouldings. 

Trees of any size are rare in the valley. I find these beautiful against the red walls.

The variety of how dirt and rock can look is wonderful.

A gnarly cypress climbs from the rock. Why here?

I cross several arroyos with shallow moving water.

Bird Head Rock is on my map. Then there's no map.

Usually I have a good sense of direction, especially in the desert where so much is visible, but when I lose Internet before downloading the map I end up not where I'm aiming. This is still a beautiful part of the Navajo Nation, and I can put the Jeep in turn-around-and-go-back-the-way-you-came mode. While I'm not lost, I admit to some relief when I reach familiar ground.

Invisible (and much deeper than it looks here) from the other side, I'm glad I'm taking my time.

The cliffs behind Gouldings - yay!

Rocks and sticks with a view.

A quick detour to Forest Gump Hill. Because I can.

Part of the fun is watching all the tourists standing in the road to take the classic photo, and running back when their "spotter" yells car!

The view from my site of my favorite monument doesn't show the bear with his honey pot clearly, so I grab a close up of Bear and Rabbit on my way to the  Tribal Park.

This is the third time I've been in the Tribal Park, a dirt route into the heart of the monuments. It may be my last.

Rains over the last few years have taken their toll on the park road, with no apparent maintenance or attempts to smooth the road. Even going at a very slow pace, the track about beats me to death (I hear Gay and Joe telling me to let some air out of my tires, but I stubbornly continue without doing so). I can't imagine the impact on tires and suspensions on the many sedans and city SUVs being driven here! 

Still, there are few places I've ever been that draw me like this sacred space that the tribe generously shares with the world. 

I've included photos of every named monument in previous posts, so I pick a few of my favorites here. Ford's Point is wonderful, but it's packed with cars so I don't stop for a pic this time. It's the first time I've been here in the afternoon and clearly it's the most popular time.

West Mitten begins the tour.

Merrick Butte is the only monument named for a non-native (although Ford was non-native, the point is named for his movies filmed there). Merrick was a silver prospector who was killed here for mining on reservation land. I believe the naming was a warning, rather than an honor.

Three Sisters. The middle child must be intimidated!

Not as dramatic as most, I am always moved by Rain God Mesa. It changes color and feel as you drive it's length.

The same mesa now dressed in red with a large eye keeping watch.

Formerly Artists' Point, now Code Talker Point. There are so many places already named after the WWII heroes of the tribe that I'm not a fan of the change.  

It just feels more artist than soldier to me.

Besides the poor road condition, there are other signs of water erosion here.

The Boot is overshadowed by these incredible un-named sentinels. 

Tuesday we're off to the national monument that brought us here. There's a chance the welcome center will be open as it is co-administered by the Navajo Nation. Fingers crossed.

Some early mornings I'm grateful that Tessa wants to go outside.

Big Chief at dawn.

Do the people who live here ever stop being amazed by this everywhere they go?

The signage is pretty throughout the monument.

Stunning views from the first pull-out. Still another  amazing color!

Arrghh, closed. All the trails that lead from the back are open. 

Most of the campsites in the free campground back up to this view. All dry, all posted for 25' or less total.

I could likely have fit in Space 10, but with the 10 mile drive in from the highway, and our limited hiking ability, I'm glad I changed to Monument Valley.

On our way out we stop to explore a large slick rock shelf.

The surface is freckled with multiple colors.

Lots of biological soil crusts that we take care to avoid stepping on.

Recent rains leave behind small ponds.

From the edge (not the edge of the edge!) more layers open up. I believe the trails run to the bottom of these cliffs.

The restrooms in the campground are open and clean, trash is empty. There are two sites with small camper vans, but I don't see any people beyond the visitor center parking lot. This is another national monument I didn't know was here, and that I'm glad I came to see.

Truth be told, the reason I didn't do this drive on Monday is because Amigos in Kayenta is closed on Mondays! One of best stops for Navajo Tacos. 

My mouth is already watering.

On the patio with the pretty blue door.

Last sunset from this amazing place.

Our stylish Reese and Penelope

Maximus and Mason take Mom to the Hogwarts Express - lucky!

Two Monuments and Changes for the Next Two

 Flagstaff, Arizona

October 16 - 19, 2025

After a good night's sleep, and a lazy morning, breaking camp is quick and easy, and we're back on Hwy 17. This stretch of highway is even more beautiful, passing through the Sedona and Verde Valley area. It's easy to believe the fact that there are more acres of forest in Arizona than in Minnesota! 

A quick stop for gas in Flagstaff, and then 30 miles north on Hwy 89 to Grand Canyon Oasis High Desert Camp. Later I'll wish that was my only time in Flagstaff. 

Like the last stop, I chose this park for its proximity to the two national monuments here. Unlike the last stop, it's a quirky little place with stunning views of the Painted Desert in the distance, and cute tiny homes around a handful of overnight spaces. FHUs, but I just connect water and electric in a gravel (!!) site that I can't get all the way level. Not enough to be an issue.

Easy access off Hwy 89.

Camper kitty next door :-)

It gets down to 30 degrees overnight and I'm especially grateful for the working furnace. The next morning the gratitude ends as said furnace fails to remain lit. After several attempts to find a mobile tech that can come out this far or isn't booked into next week, I thank the gods I have my little electric heater. It worked for us in Santa Fe and keeps us comfortable through the next couple chilly nights.

Just two miles up the highway is the beginning of the loop road that takes us through both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments. I know they're both in the same area, but didn't realized they're connected by a scenic drive. Cool!

Raven greets me at the first national monument.

 

Unnamed ruin on a lava bench. No visible trail.

The first stop is Lomaki Pueblo Ruins, part of a large Hisatsinom community. Ancestors of the Hopi tribe, they farmed many acres in the small valleys below the structures. A couple books I've read on the Pueblo Revolt believe that many of the Puebloans who escaped Spanish rule before the revolt in Santa Fe came here to build a new community. It's even more interesting to see these places having read some of their probable history.

Guess who?

The blend of man-made at the top of natural is seamless. 

A portion of the trails are hard-packed and a good place to try Tessa's buggy again. She is still not a fan, whines, shakes and fusses the whole time. Oh well, we tried.

Lack of appreciation for the close up view.

Other than those in the sky, this is the only wildlife I see all day.

So happy to be out of the doggy-torture-machine, she takes a couple laps in the parking lot.

This is a very different place than Aqua Fria, with a nice paved road, parking lots at designated ruins, several nice pit toilet restrooms, and a visitor center that is of course closed today. I take every side road including a dirt one, and read every sign. Still I miss several of the sites shown on the website. 

 

"...it stands high above the plains, visible for many miles resembling a castle..." - Wupatki by Jesse Walter Fewkes, January 1904

You stop here for the cool ruin and the clean restroom. And for a bonus you get this guy!

And a giant alligator on the hill.

Happier to walk a short distance, Tessa ignores the opening I might try to stuff her in. Again.

San Francisco Mountains in the distance.

One of those dirt roads you follow around each new corner, "just in case".

I know I took a photo of the pretty strip of green along a small creek that was around the last corner, but the photo fairies have absconded with it.

Small, unnamed ruin along the main road.

These ruins include a small harvest storage below a large mesa Pueblo.

Leaving Aqua Fria the open terrain starts filling in with juniper and cedar forests. The road climbs to 8000, but although I don't do well over 7,000 I'm not feeling funky this time. 

The forest floor becomes a black blanket of ash.

In some areas the blankets are covered in lace.

We've seen these creepy plants in post-fire areas before. Still creepy.

The post-fire Dalmation trees are their own unique art.

A small pop of Fall color. I was hoping for more.

A shiny new sign for this unique park.

Like the last park, there are quite a few people at this small parking area below the volcano. I feel insignificant at the base of this dormant symbol of violent power.

The eruption was a single event dated to 1080.

Small red cones are visible along the forest line that mark the line of fissures that formed during the event.

This is a small but interesting national monument. As always I'm grateful for its protection.

Dominating the San Francisco Mountains at 12,637', Humphrey's Peak is the highest mountain in Arizona. Visible from most everywhere in the area, here it peeks over the surrounding forest.

Looking like crushed Oreos on steroids, the lava flow below the volcano looks strangely "new".

Deadly sharp and unapproachable.

Back down at 6,000' this lovely meadow showcases the San Francisos.

I like to think I can still learn from my mistakes. Apparently I need to work on it. The south exit of the loop drive comes out a few miles north of Flagstaff. It's mid-afternoon on Friday. Work and school are "in" so I should be able to just pop into town and grab some sushi for a late lunch! 

Nope.

Egads, where do all these people come from?

I ignore my instincts to turn around quickly and end up in the even crazier downtown. Which of course is where all the sushi restaurants are. Bumper to bumper on the road and the sidewalk and zero parking. It takes me a few tries to get out of the area, but finally I'm escaping back to peace and quiet. Just before I'm out of town I see a nice Italian place with parking and pull in. I feel like I've found sanctuary with a beautiful setting, no waiting, excellent service and a delicious meal. Fat Olive's is just what I needed!

Very good, and plenty for dinner too.

Tessa has time to sniff and squat around the parking lot while this poor guy inches his way out of the tiny space. When they called they were told there was plenty of room for them. He's not happy, but does successfully extract them.

Waiting for us back at the campground :-)

Saturday is one of those days I always enjoy in-between adventures. Some cleaning, some minor repairs, some re-organizing, and reservations made for Plan C. Reading and a nap as rewards.

With no furnace I'm not confident about dry camping at my next two stops. I also re-check the site sizes and find that the 28' limit at Navajo NM is combined length. I'm not going to fit either. Time for another plan.

I move my next stop to the new KOA in Monument Valley, and the other one all the way to Gallup, New Mexico. This next leg is all on the Navajo Nation with no public campgrounds on my route. So there will be more day trip driving, but I'll have FHUs and not have to worry about the night temps. I feel good about the changes.

Miss Magnolia sitting pretty.

Little M is in Slytherin house!

Big girl Reese matches her shirt. I love those freckles!

Big M hoping he remembered his homework.