God's Treasure: Monument Valley

We left Wahweap on Saturday, April 30th -- on a third consecutive day of rain.  I can count the number of warm sunny days we had there on one hand. Wind, rain and cold temperatures have been torturous. I am more than ready to move on in hopes of finding sunshine if not warm weather.

Pam, Ernie, Joyce and Charlie pulled out today too -- all headed to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. We will reconvene at Moab to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Maybe we will get to rendezvous with Penny and Bob too, a couple we met in Chula Vista.

Today's destination for Wayne and me is Goulding's Camp Park at Monument Valley.  It's a mere 71 miles west of Page, Arizona, as the crow flies. That converts to 135 highway miles.

While the scenery was delightful, the weather worsened as we traveled and somewhere along the road, hail and snow were added to the already miserable travel conditions. By the time we reached Kayente, Arizona, the ground was slushy white and we had passed two traffic accidents.

Goulding's Camp Park Campground is in a box canyon on a hill. It's a small place -- just 62 sites on red, sandy earth. No grass... no gravel. The afternoon of our arrival, the ground was simply "red mud". Getting into our assigned campsite proved difficult as the campground's interior roads are narrow and lined with young trees. After a few harrowing minutes navigating Big Endie through the maze, Wayne backed her into a vacant space and set about getting site reassignment. Fortunately for us, the rain cooperated, taking a break while we got settled.

We finished setting up with a little daylight to spare so we visited Goulding's museum and the tiny building referred to here as "The John Wayne Cabin". The building was, in it's former life, a potato cellar of the homeowners, the Gouldings.

Getting this stop out of the way, we will have all day tomorrow to tour Monument Valley. With rain forecast for several more days we won't be able to take the campground's red mud for more than the shortest of time.

An abbreviated history of Goulding's

Harry Goulding (a sheep trader from Colorado) and his wife, Leone, nicknamed "Mike" came to Monument Valley in 1920. They bought this property when the Paiute Indian Reservation relocated and the land was put on the market for sale. For several years the Gouldings lived in tents while operating a trading post. The Navajo people traded hand crafted items for food and dry goods.

During the Great Depression of the 1930's the Navajo people suffered. Harry Goulding began an effort to bring movie production into Monument Valley.  He discussed a plan with Navajo friends who were eager to work in the movies for wages. With their last $60, Harry and Mike drove to Hollywood carrying a fist-full of Monument Valley photographs. They were successful in meeting John Ford and they ultimately left Hollywood with an agreement for filming. Within days, John Ford, along with his crew, arrived and began filming "Stagecoach" starring John Wayne.

Monument Valley would quickly become the favorite film location for John Ford's 1930's and 40's western movies.

It's a place Wayne and I have had on our "must see" list for a very long time.  Only the weather stands in our way now.... and the miserable desert rain continued all night and into the next morning as we drove to the Navajo Tribal Park to take a driving tour of Monument Valley. Clouds hung heavy over the cliffs so we toured the Visitor Center, the Navajo museum and then the gift shop while the skies cleared.

Navajo Nation population statistics: 

• Median age is 24 years  
• 165,673 persons live on the Nation
• 60% of homes have no telephone service 
• Average family size is 4.36 persons 
• 40% of the families live below the poverty level 
• 32% of the homes have incomplete plumbing facilities 
• 37,903 families make up the Navajo Nation
• Goat population: 143,000  -  Cattle population: 81,000  -  Horse population: 35,000 
• Grazing livestock owners must obtain a grazing permit by the Bureau of Indian Affairs 

In the gift shop.  John Wayne is big, but he's REAL big 'round these parts, pardner. 

Passing the time in the Visitors Center Gift Shop 'til the clouds part over Monument Valley 

Finally, just before noon, the low hanging clouds began lifting.  Looking down from the visitors center we could see the dirt (or mud today) road that will take us along the 17-mile Valley Drive loop. We are told to watch for small signs to identify each of the great monoliths. With Lexie and Ozzie snuggled warmly in the back seat, we set out on the long awaited journey.

A few stubborn clouds linger atop the bluffs
That's East and West Mitten and Merrick Butte in the background.

Clouds cling to the top of Mitchell Mesa

Valley Drive is a 17-mile loop through Monument Valley.
It's a muddy mess today. Glad we've got Big Whitey with 4-wheel drive. 

Heavy, wet clouds hang on to the high points. 

Finally all the clouds lifted to reveal the most beautiful bright red towering spires and buttes I'd ever seen. The road was muddy and full of potholes... and they got worse as we went along but we didn't care.  Here's some of the best of what we saw...

I managed to capture a famous angle for this East and West Mitten Butte photo with the two large boulders.

Monument names are based on imagination and description. They were given by early settlers and sometimes have a significant meaning to the Navajo people.

• East and West Mitten Buttes look like hands. 
• Merrick Butte and Mitchell Mesa are named for two of General Armstrong Custer's officers after they captured 4,000 Navajos and marched them to Fort Sumner, New Mexico in 1864.  

Mitchell Mesa and Three Sisters 

• The Three Sisters represent a Catholic Nun facing two pupils.
• John Ford's Point is named for the Hollywood movie director who made John Wayne famous.

Sentinel Mesa, West Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte 

Elephant Butte resembles a gigantic west facing elephant

We stopped at the overlook of John Ford Point...  

That's me standing on John Ford Point.

Camel Butte

Monument Valley was created from erosion, dating back 570 million years (who decides this stuff?). Then some 65 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau began an "uplift" and a long process of earth shifting that resulted in the initial rocks formations that are the base of what is here today. Hummm. Probably too much information.

By this time, you can name them all yourself. 

That's Elephant Butte to the far right. He's looking right at the camera. See? 

Still at John Ford Point, looking another direction to see The Three Sisters.
A close inspection of the spire on the far left shows a standing Catholic Nun -- looking at her two pupils. 

We stayed about an hour at John Ford's Point where we ate our lunch and met a nice couple who took these photos of us. Thus far, we've covered only about 1/3 of the Valley Drive. From here, we pass the large Rain God Mesa (to the left in the picture below) that marks the geographical center of Monument Valley. Behind this huge formation, a natural aquifer streaks the base of the sandstone formation.

Rock Types at Monument Valley are:

• Mesas - a table type rock, usually stable and wide (first stages of erosion) 
• Buttes - rock formation that is smaller than a mesa, usually more rounded (second stages of erosion)
• Spires - the final stages of erosion, spires are narrow and free standing

Totem Pole to the right. 

Behind Rain God Mesa where the natural aquifer provided water for the Navajo people.

Cly Bluff, named for a Navajo Medicine Man

Totem Pole

Valley Drive offered us an overlook at a place called "Artist Point" -- easy to see why it has that name.  Here, we are looking back toward Goulding's as the clouds along with a hearty wind come rolling in again.

The clouds make for dramatic photographic effect, I must say. 

The next picture is shot through what's called "North Window" with a view of the lower valley. On the left is the back side of Elephant Butte. Cly Butte, on the right is named for a beloved Navajo Medicine Man who is buried at the base of the formation.

Looking through the North Window

As the clouds became darker, we hurried through the final quarter of Valley Drive. Fortunately, this was where the loop returned to the main road.  I snapped dozens more pictures...

Rain is beginning to fall again.

This balanced rock is aptly named "The Cube"

"The Thumb" is a free standing spire on Camel Butte 

The skies opened as we drove out of Monument Valley and the rain continued nearly all night. Next morning we awoke to sunny, bright blue skies in time to leave the area.

Leaving Monument Valley, I drove the truck, following Wayne in Endie, so I could stop for a few more pictures of this magnificent place.  Here are a couple of them -- one might be familiar.... 

Below is the one that might be familiar. You remember....

"I just kept on running".... Forrest Gump 

Despite the weather, we loved our day visit of Monument Valley. It's no wonder the actor, John Wayne, called this place "God's Treasure"

Hiking Hanging Garden And Other Lake Powell Stuff

From Wahweap Campground at Lake Powell, Page, Arizona     Dave and Sherry, new friends we made a few weeks ago at Camp Verde, Arizona rearranged their travel plans to be at Lake Powell while we were there. Pam, Ernie, Joyce, Charlie, Wayne and I were thrilled to have them among us. Our time together will be limited though as they have several stops planned in the next few weeks before they store their coach in Yuma and fly home to Alaska. We welcomed them with a picnic lunch on Friday, April 22nd and talked about what we'd do while we're all together.

An easy 940 foot round-trip hike called "Hanging Garden" intrigued us so on a very warm afternoon, Sherry, Dave, Pam, Ernie, Joyce, Charlie and I loaded into a couple of vehicles to check it out. Wayne sat this one out.  Hanging Garden is a quarter mile from Glen Canyon Dam, just off Highway 89. We parked, found the trail head and made our way along the rock and sand to find the mysterious place in the desert.

Dave and Sherry along the rocky, sandy trail to Hanging Garden in Page, Arizona

Which way?  Joyce (looking down), Sherry (pointing forward), Ernie (incognito in white cap), Dave (scratching head), Pam (pointing up) and Charlie (oblivious to it all) looking checking all directions for the Hanging Garden. 

More of the same strange behavior. 

But alas! As promised, the trail delivered us upward and into a cavernous part of a huge limestone bluff where we found a moist wall of lush green fern.  So it is a hanging garden of sorts.

Ah ha! I am "in the hanging garden"...

But sometimes a beautiful sight doesn't require a hike. That's the case in the picture below. Pam pointed this rising full moon out during an evening walk with Ernie. We both raced for cameras in hopes of capturing the very best shot. Mine isn't clear but worth saving.

From Wahweap Campground Loop C. Southwesterly view of Tower Butte.

As always, eating is an important of our entertainment. One evening, for pizza, we gathered at the Canyon King Pizzeria which is, in fact, a restaurant housed in a landlocked paddle wheeler. It's featured on the Roadside America website that lists oddities along America's highways. There's some interesting history about this ship's former working life on Lake Powell but I forgot the details. It was an interesting place and the food was pretty good.

Joyce (L) and me (R) at the bar of Canyon King Pizzeria

Another restaurant we like and visited a few times was The Dam Bar and Grille located in the Dam Plaza. The food was good and the prices were reasonable. One of the menu items is a "Dam Big Burger". A large open, boisterous place, the decor, especially the wall at the far end looks like the wall at Glen Canyon Dam which gives one the feeling of eating at the bottom of the dam.

Around the table, left to right at The Dam Bar... Dave, Sherry, Ernie, Pam, Joyce and Charlie (barely seen) and the Wayner.

Surprisingly, Lake Powell National Golf Course in Page provided a lush and green setting in the midst of desert red rock. Pam, Ernie, Wayne and I played one of the rare afternoons without either wind or rain. Weather here has been disappointing to say the least.

Wayne is lining up for the putt while Pam looks on.

View from the course looking toward Lake Powell

Sherry and Dave ended up extending their stay by three extra days, I think. Once because they wanted to and then another one or two because of high winds that made driving high profile vehicles dangerous.  We had a great time all the way up to the very last evening together.

Saying goodbye to Sherry and Dave on their last evening with us.   Left to right, Sherry, Joyce and Pam.

 Desert flowers are pretty nice here this year. I suppose it's all the rain. Here are a couple of them.

Day Trip To Rainbow Bridge

From Wahweap Campground at Lake Powell, Page, Arizona    Boating is the main attraction of Lake Powell.  The six of us have been planning a day on the lake since we first put this destination on our agenda.  We found a $375 daily rate (plus fuel) for a 26' Deck Boat at Antelope Point Marina, about 15 miles from Wahweap. After a telephone inquiry, we visited the marina to see exactly what we were going to rent.

First thing to catch our eye at Antelope Point Marina Boat Rentals, however, were the rental houseboats. All open for our inspection, we looked in several of them.

Antelope Point Marina Rental Houseboats

This one fit our style and was a group favorite.

The open, upper deck of the houseboat. Living quarters are below. It has four bedrooms and two baths.

That's Charlie, Pam, Joyce, Ernie and Wayne, left to right.

Pam studies the instrument panel while Ernie gets comfortable in the living area of the houseboat.

The next larger size has a jacuzzi on the upper deck. This one doesn't.

It was easy for Wayne to get comfortable in the houseboat's enormous living quarters

However, with a minimum 3-day rental (at $3000 a day) on the houseboats, we all regained our senses after a while and proceeded to reserve the 26' pontoon as originally planned. We had a small window of good weather -- meaning no rain or wind for our target boating date. We hope to get to the difficult-to-reach Rainbow Bridge National Monument, nearly fifty miles up the lake from Glen Canyon Dam.

A far cry from the 50' houseboats, these 26' deck boats that seat 8, are a better choice -- and lots less money. 

A visit to Antelope Point Marina isn't complete without a stop at the Marina Village Restaurant where we enjoyed drinks on the patio after our boat rental business concluded.

Left to Right: Ernie, Charlie, Joyce, Wayne and Pam at Antelope Point Marina Restaurant's patio bar.

Left to right: Joyce, me and Pam at Antelope Point Marina Restaurant patio... with our drink assortment.
4 drinks for 3 ladies... Hummm. Mine is the blue one... delicious... called Lake Powell H2O and it packed a real punch. 

Those who know me know I don't drink much. Very rarely, in fact, do I consume liquor. No real reason. This afternoon, however, I had a drink -- one drink, about 14 ounces of a concoction listed on the menu as "Lake Powell H2O". Afterward, I became uncontrollably silly and entertained our friends with outrageous antics for several hours. Fortunately my inebriation did not result in a headache or hangover.

This picture of Pam and our waitress was taken a few days after our boating trip.
We wanted to find out know exactly what was in my blue drink. It's called Hypnotiq...

So on Thursday, April 21st, we returned to Antelope Point and our waiting deck boat. Pam, Joyce and I had divided the picnic food responsibilities for the all day outing. Needless to say, there was enough to feed a small army. Lucky for us, Antelope Point offers a valet service, transporting us, and all our stuff, from the parking lot, down this mile long ramp to the boats. I am sure we looked like we were going for a week of boating instead of a day trip.

Antelope Point is on the original Colorado River channel and was at 40% capacity.  Water depth is 450 feet.

It took a long time to get underway as the required boating orientation revealed problems with the engine that necessitated a vessel change. When we complained at the delay, the agency gave approval to make up the lost time at the the end of the day.

Pam's part of today's food extravaganza included mimosas and breakfast breads. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. We nibbled on bakery goods and sipped on mimosas as we slowly moved through the "no wake" zone. Wayne took the first turn at the helm over calm water.

Pam is ready to pop the champagne cork as Joyce and Ernie look on.

Boating on Lake Powell was unlike, and better by far, than any boating I think I've ever done. Along the shoreline you see no homes, private docks, billboards, automobiles, or roadways. Just beautiful, majestic rock cliffs and unusual geological formations reaching out of the lake. It's like being on another planet.

Padre Point (in Utah) in the foreground. Far right; 5,282' Tower Butte (in Arizona)

While the morning was warm at the marina, the air temperature dropped once we were on open water. One by one we covered our exposed arms and within minutes, we were wrapped in blankets as Wayne picked up the boat speed.

Notice the tiny boat in the water to the right of the rocks.

After a while, Ernie took his turn at the wheel of the pontoon.

A couple of hours into our trip to Rainbow Bridge, we followed the markers out of the channel to Dangling Rope Marina. We would need a fuel refill for the trip.  Again, no roads lead into or out of this marina. It is accessible only by water. The attendant told us the fuel here is delivered via the waterway.

Captain Ernie checking for "all systems go".

Dangling Rope Canyon and Marina.

Forty-two miles up the lake from Glen Canyon Dam, thirty-seven miles from Antelope Point Marina.

In the more open areas of Lake Powell, the wind came up a bit and at one point, crossing the wake of an oncoming power boat, Wayne, standing as he is in the picture below, lost his footing and fell. His fall resulted in spilling an important commodity -- a half mimosa. I thought someone might try to lick it off the boat seat. 

Lexie and Ozzie enjoy boating. Pop is always close by... even when he falls. 

Our route took us quickly across the state line from Arizona into Utah, traveling across Padre Bay, passing Last Chance and Rock Creek Bays. We had beautiful views of Gunsight and Cookie Jar Buttes, Miner's Stairs and The Grand Bench. We passed Face Canyon, West, Dungeon, Grotto and Wetherill Canyons without stopping in to explore any of them. Just not enough time.

Our destination is expected to take several hours to reach. A fairly good hike awaits us and we will have to break for lunch too. We expect to have just enough time to get to Rainbow Bridge, hike, eat and get the boat back to Antelope Point Marina.

Sheer cliffs 

Another thing that doesn't work properly on our deck boat is the head (toilet). Interestingly, Lake Powell has floating toilets. Luckily we didn't need a independently floating toilet as we used the one at Dangling Rope Marina.

Around noon, we reached marker 49 that would take us, slowly and carefully through the deep walled, sometimes narrow canyons to the dock at Rainbow Bridge.

A very special photo locale for Lexie, Ozzie and me as we carefully manuver the canyon.

There are 96 canyons on Lake Powell and water surface elevations rise and fall with seasonal water intake and usage. Our visit is near the low level which usually occurs in February.  The lake has fascinating gorges and hikes areas. Our destination is the most wondrous of the rock formations here, Rainbow Bridge which, it is said, is the largest natural bridge on earth. (Kolob Arch in Zion is 35' wider but is not a natural bridge carved by a running stream.)

To our surprise, thrill and amazement, there was but one boat at the dock when we arrived and these three visitors were boarding their boat to leave when we arrived. Not another boat, nary a single, solitary soul joined us at the dock or at our visit to Rainbow Bridge. It's the only National Monument I ever recall visiting without other tourists.

Being the generous and giving husband he always is, Wayne offered to stay aboard the boat with Lexie and Ozzie while I joined Pam, Ernie, Joyce and Charlie for the 2.5 mile round trip hike from the dock to see Rainbow Bridge.  Reluctantly, I agreed. Wayne knew I wanted to see this site since I heard about it on our first trip to Lake Powell.

I hurried ahead of the others, walking fast and alone, frequently scared about what wild life I might encounter walking in this uninhabited land. It was scary. I breathed heavily, coughed often, stomped my feet and sometimes whistled loudly as I walked. I reached Rainbow Bridge before the others and then I returned sooner so Wayne wouldn't be alone too long with Lexie and Ozzie, who were not allowed to walk on the dock.

Looking back from the trail head toward Wayne, Lexie and Ozzie, waiting for me at the boat.

The four tiny figures behind me on the trail are Pam, Ernie, Joyce and Charlie 

My first glimpse of Rainbow Bridge.  The lake is dry here. In years past (before the recent drought), boats could reach this point, making for a much shorter hike. Today we hiked about 1.3 miles each way. The air in the canyon is still and hot. Snow remains on the peaks of 10,388 ft. Navajo Mountain in the background. 

Some history of Rainbow Bridge:  In May 1910, President Taft created Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Former President, Theodore Roosevelt and Zane Grey were among the earliest travelers to make the weeks-long, arduous trek from Oljeto or Navajo Mountain to glimpse the Rainbow Bridge.

In the late 1940's, military rafts from World War II made visiting Rainbow Bridge a bit easier, taking several days instead of several weeks. The raft trip ended with a seven-mile hike up-canyon to reach Rainbow Bridge.

By the 1950's, motorboats from Lees Ferry carried visitors to see Rainbow Bridge over a period of just 3 days!

There is a viewing area beneath Rainbow Bridge.

Visitors are asked to be reverent here and not to stand directly beneath the span of Rainbow Bridge

But then, the Glen Canyon Dam gates closed in 1963 and Lake Powell began to engulf the river and canyons. Higher water made access to Rainbow Bridge easier. Thousands flocked to see it.

In 1974, Navajo tribes of this area filed a lawsuit to preserve important Navajo religious sites like Rainbow Bridge, but the courts ruled against them, saying the need for water storage was more important than their religious concerns. Six years later, in 1980, the Tenth District Court of Appeals ruled that to close Rainbow Bridge, a public site, for Navajo religious ceremonies would violate the U.S. Constitution, which protects the religious freedom of all citizens.

Then in 1993, a National Park Service management plan was adopted that offered a long-term plan for mitigating visitor impact on Rainbow Bridge. With input from the Navajo, Hopi, San Juan Southern Paiute, Kaibab Paiute and White Mesa Ute tribes, the National Park Services agreed to ask visitors to be respectful of the significance of Rainbow Bridge to the Native American People. That's the best we could do? That's the least we can do? I felt guilty to intrude here.

Following our hike back from Rainbow Bridge, we ate a small portion of the mammoth lunch and then began thinking about the long trip back to Antelope Point Marina. Charlie took the boat's wheel for the return trip and he pushed the throttle forward. The afternoon air was really cool. I wrapped Lexie and Ozzie in the blanket that covered my legs and arms. They slept almost all the way back. We did not exercise our option to extend our boat rental. We all were too tired.

Our day trip to Rainbow Bridge was timed perfectly. Winds came by the next day and I don't recall having another day suitable for boating on Lake Powell during the remainder of our stay. Happily, the next day, our friends from Camp Verde, Sherry and Dave, will be joining us for a few days.