On our way to Page (Arizona) we took a detour through Monument Valley, which is characterized for it's vast sandstone buttes. Monument Valley has been featured in many movies and commercials since the 1930s.
It isn't a National Park operated by the Government but is held by the Navajo Nation Reservation. It is obvious how different the Navajo Nation keep this park compared to the other parks we visited. On the one hand it is fascinating how these Indian Reserves looks like, but on the other hand it is quite embarrassing to see, how the Indian People are profit-orientated and how they ignore the bad shape of the street and the whole infrastructure.
After paying an access-fee we drove through the park on a 17-mile (27 km) dirty and bumpy road we never seen before and also didn't expect. Thanks to our car, we survived this shaky trip with almost no damage. ;-) Below some impressions of this unique experience at Monument Valley.
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| The famous first sight from the highway to the Monument Valley. |
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| Some rocks from up close photographed. |
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| We determined that there are different things to do in the Monument Valley.... For example taking some pictures for the wedding - invitation cards. |
Arriving at Page we firstly visited the Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is the most visited and photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is also located on Navajo land. Similar to our experience in the Monument Valley, we had the same impressions about the profit-manner. First of all there is to pay an access-fee by entering the parking lot before the actual costs had to be paid for the literal visit (25 USD per person).
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| The woman on the right handside was our guide and drove us to the park entrance with quite an old vehicle. |
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| No wonder we stucked in the sand due to the condition of the car as well as this bumpy and unmaintained road. |
The shaky drive was worth it, as inside this approximately 0.25 miles long Canyon, some unforgettable impressions awaited us. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. This process forms the characteristic "flowing" shapes in the rock.
Below again some impressions of this adventure:
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| On the right handside there is an Indian to see. ;-) |
Our accomodation for one night - Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas
We spent a chilling evening at this hotel while overlooking the amazing Lake Powell. The next morning we got up pretty early to play a round of Golf at the Lake Powell National Golf Course. A very beautiful but demanding course, not least due to the upheating conditions (we played at 81 ° Farenheit - 27° Celsius). After that sporty morning we squeezed in a short visit at the Horseshoe Bend before leaving towards Bryce Canyon.
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| The before mentioned Horseshoe Bend we visited after the golf course. A horseshoe shaped meander of the Colorado River. |
Forecast to the upcoming Blog:
Our stay at Bryce Canyon and how the U.S. government shutdown affected our scheduled travel-plan....
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