She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Actually, no one on this trip wore a yellow ribbon, but the John Wayne cavalry flick of that name was filmed on location at our next goal of the journey - Monument Valley. But first, we had to make the long drive across the Navaho Nation to the town of Kayenta, which was just south of Monument Valley. Along the way we passed through mostly agricultural land - the Navajo people seemed to mostly be farmers and cattle ranchers. There was also the obligatory casino and a high school. Funny thing about the high school. Some years back, my nephew Joe's high school in Parsippany N.J. got all politically correct and decided to change the name of their football team from the "Redskins" to the "Redhawks". The theory was not to offend Native Americans or something. Well, the Navajo high school had a football team named-you guessed it- the Redskins. Oh well, I guess it's OK for them.

Anyhow, we finally made it to Kayenta, and turned northward toward Monument Valley. Monument Valley is not a U.S. national park but since it is on Navajo land it is considered a tribal park and is administered by the Navajo Nation. A small fee got us in and we started to check the place out. The first thing one sees is a big new modern resort hotel with restaurants etc. that the Navajo have built overlooking the valley. It was quite impressive with an excellent view of the area from its terrace.

The main event, so to speak, is a 17-mile dirt road which starts at the hotel parking lot and wends its way through the valley proper. There were tours available in open four-wheel drive trucks for a nominal fee for those who did not wish to drive their own vehicles over the trail. However, since we were driving a Ford Escape - a small SUV- with decent ground clearance, we decided to do it ourselves.

Monument Valley Visitor's Center

This formation is called "The Mitten"

This is "John Ford Point" named for the famous director of Westerns who used this area extensively for his film locations. See this clip from "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" - watch the landscape as they ride out of the fort: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhnDe_rTk_o

We drove along the 17 mile road and the little Ford held its own quite nicely. We stopped along the way for photos and just to take in the scenery. One funny thing happened when we stopped at John Ford Point. A busload of foreign tourists had just disgorged and listening to them speak I figured out they were from Italy. Between their broken English and my fractured Italian, we exchanged greetings and I ended up taking a group picture for them. Actually, on the whole trip, we saw nearly as many foreign tourists as Americans. I'm glad to see people coming here to see our natural wonders (and spend their money-ha,ha).

Elephant Butte - Supposed to look like an elephant?

Some interesting towers.

Some more "John Wayne" scenery

Finally, a fairly massive formation.

After we toured the valley, we headed back down the road to Kayenta and our motel - the Hampton Inn of Kayenta. I would recommend staying here if you are in the area. It was fairly new, clean, and the beds were comfortable.

The Hampton Inn Kayenta - I think that's John Wayne's wagon in the front.

The nicest surprise of the day was the restaurant recommended to us for dinner by the desk clerk. It was a real "locals" place just down the road called "The Blue Coffee Pot". It had good food and was very reasonable. I had short ribs of beef with a salad and two sides for under $ 10.00.

"The Blue Coffee Pot"

After dinner, we went to the nearby supermarket to pick up some snacks and soft drinks for the road the next day. Looked like any other supermarket except the pet food section had 100-pound bags of feed for horses on sale. Hmm. did Big John and the cavalry shop here? No, actually if you recall, many of the Navajo people are ranchers and horses are still important in that business. Also, I'm sure many folks just like to ride - it is the wide open spaces.

Next: The Grand Canyon