Making Our Way To Gallup

28 September 2014

Weather: Rain & storms and 22C

We had a 5:00am start, checking out of The View Hotel by 5:30am to try to drive to Mesa Verde National Park for a 9:00am tour of the Cliff Palace.  We were delayed an extra 15 minutes as I had read on the internet that there was a flood watch for Colorado but couldn't find any information on any road closures, so we decided to go and see if we can get there.  We drove for over two hours to reach the Mesa Verde Visitor Centre and there was no road closures anywhere along the way.  We purchased a 9:30am Cliff Palace Tour ticket because we couldn't guarantee that we would reach the meeting place in time.  Justin drove another hour in the rain up the mountain side, arriving in time for the 9:00am tour.  Justin still had a headache from the day before so he relaxed in the car while I walked around the carpark.  I thought there was a museum there but all I found was some pit toilets and a picnic shelter.  We met the ranger at the overlook and at this stage there was a fine mist which lasted throughout the tour.  Laura was our ranger/guide, she was very knowledgeable about the Pueblo’s and the cliff dwellings history.  The walk to Cliff Palace was quite easy as I was worried about the ladders, being scared of heights, but the ladders weren't that high.  Once we finished the tour we drove around to the starting point for the Balcony House but it was not visible from the overlook. 

Our guide Laura at the Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace from the overlook

Balcony House sign

From here we drove South West to Four Corners Monument to have our photo taken on the four states which we had visited: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.  We stayed in the last two states mentioned but only drove through or visited the other two.  At Four Corners Monument there is an entry fee so you might as well take your time there. We looked at the Indian jewelry stalls but there wasn't many stalls open due to the rainy and cool day.  It is cheaper to buy jewelry here than at The View Hotel but there was nothing as elaborate as those at the hotel.

Justin at Four Corners Monument

Four Corners sign

Once we were done at Four Corners we headed South East to Shiprock.  We had seen Shiprock Mountain on Google Maps and wanted to get some photographs, but the weather was not ideal for getting the shots we wanted.  We stopped in Shiprock Township for lunch at KFC.  The menu is very different to Australia as they only had one burger and a mini roll.  They do the fried chicken, hot wings, chicken pot pie and a soup.  

Shiprock

Once our tummies were full be headed South to the Red Roof Inn in Gallup, where I was to meet a distant relative from doing the DNA genealogy.  Justin was still wrecked from the headache and cold so I met Constance.  Constance is Mum's 5th cousin, we just don't know which side of the family we are related through.  Constance drove me to a Cracker Barrel for dinner.  I had the crumbed chicken livers, fried okra and corn.  This was the first time I had tried okra and was glad to see it on the menu, I enjoyed it, but sorry I can't remember what it tasted like now.  Constance bought me a souvenir of the USA, cowboy boots salt and pepper shakers, too cute!  She also bought Justin a vegetable soup which we took back to the hotel, where he was trying to sleep off the headache and he hadn't eaten anything at that stage.  Constance and I got on like a house on fire and so I grabbed Justin's iPad and sat outside with Constance.  Showing her photographs of the relatives living and dead to see if she could see a resemblance.  It was cold and started to rain so we sat in her jeep in the carpark looking at each other’s photos of family and our home towns, using the hotel’s Wi-Fi.  Many places we stayed in the Wi-Fi was pretty disappointing but not here at the Red Roof Inn in Gallup.  Constance said that her father and my grandfather looked very similar so we are guessing that the connection must come from that line somewhere.  Once we ran out of things to talk about we called it a night, me returning to my sick husband and Constance to her sick friend in Gallup as she lived in another state but agreed to meet us at this point in our trip.

Our room at the Red Roof Inn in Gallup

Fried Chicken Livers, Fried Okra and Corn

Constance and I at Cracker Barrel, Gallup 

Second Day In Monument Valley

27 September 2014

Weather: Stormy and 24C

Today we planned to hike Wildcat Trail but since we had ridden the horses along it the day before and Justin had a headache and still sick with the cold, the afternoon forecast was for thunder storms, I decided to watch the sunrise over the buttes and mittens.  I sat on the balcony one hour prior to sunrise to watch the sun come up, seeing the light and colours change.  Justin joined me about 15 minutes before sunrise to take photos and to enjoy the view.  Afterwards we went back to bed to sleep in until around 10:00am.

Sun rising behind Merrick's Butte

Sunrise of Monument Valley from our room

Sunrise seen from our room at The View Hotel

Having rested up we then got ready for our day and drove to Goulding’s Trading Post to do our laundry.  Afterwards we drove along the road which we were going to take the following day to Colorado to take photos.  The next morning we would be leaving in the dark so there would be no photo opportunities.  

Justin and I at Monument Valley, Highway 163 

Monument Valley seen from Highway 163 

Monument Valley seen from Highway 163 

Photos taken we returned to The View Hotel to look through the gift shop and go through the museum.  While in the museum a storm blew in and we got a great view from both the museum and then later from our balcony.  The jewelry in the gift shop were very expensive even with their sale on, so I decided not to buy any. This turned out to be a mistake for me as nowhere else had the jewelry as nice.  Other places were lots cheaper but they looked cheaper too.  From both this trip and the trip before to Switzerland, the moral of the story is, if you like something buy it when you see it, because you won't be returning to buy the item you saw at the start of the trip.

Storm seen from our room at The View Hotel

We had an early dinner around six o'clock bought some gifts and went back to the lobby to spend some time on the internet before an early night. 

First Day In Monument Valley

26 September 2014

Weather: Sunny and 29C

This morning we checked out of the hotel at Page and drive the couple of hours to Monument Valley via Kayenta.  We arrived at The View Hotel 30 minutes before our afternoon tour, so we tried to check into our room but it wasn't ready.  We left our food and medicine with reception as it would be colder inside the hotel than in the car.

North of Kayenta 

Monument Valley

Just after midday we met our guide Robertson, known as Rob.  He saddled up our horses while we signed the injury waiver.  The horse I was to ride had a nasty cut to its lower leg so Rob changed my horse to one named Mighty.  Once saddled Justin and I followed Rob on our horses, going out along the Wildcat Trail around Left Mitten.  The ride was hot and dusty with very little shade, from memory there was only one tree which we stopped under.  The ride went for two hours and not having ridden a horse in many years, I found that I had a stitch in my side which got worst every time the horse went faster than a walk, so I had to keep it to a walk.  Both Justin and I were sore in the top, inner parts of our legs and my bottom.  Having finished the tour and back at the yards we watched Rob unsaddle the horses.  Mighty let himself into the yards, whereas Justin's horse, Missy rolled in the dust.  

Justin and I in front of the West Mitten

East and West Mitten plus Merrick's Butte 

We had booked a Combination Horseback/Jeep Tour with Scared Monuments Tour ( http://www.monumentvalley.net/horse.htm ) which meant we then had a three hour jeep tour through Monument Valley.  We got into Rob's 4WD for a tour of most of the buttes and mittens, as well as seeing arches, petroglyphs and springs.  

Great photo opportunity on the Jeep Tour

Rob's 4WD, Justin and I posing on the sand dune

Petroglyphs

Justin struggled through the jeep tour having a cold and a bit of heat exhaustion, he was glad when it was over as we checked into our room.  Justin spent the last part of the afternoon and early evening in bed trying to get some rest.  I spent my afternoon walking backwards and forwards to the verandahs so I could get the best sunset possible.  I wasn't sure which would be best, looking into the sun or away from it.  As night fell the hotel started a John Wayne movie which was projected onto a wall outside.  There were chairs and tables set up in front of the wall where the movie was being screened but we could watch it from our balcony as the volume was loud enough that it was like being in a theatre.  This stopped Justin from being able to sleep, that being said he stayed in bed and I took some time in the lobby to use the internet.  

Our room at The View Hotel

Movie from the balcony

Sun setting behind Mitchell Butte 

Sunset from our rooms balcony

Later in the evening we had dinner at The View Restaurant.  The food here met our expectation of what we had been told by other Aussies who had travelled to the USA.  We were told the meals are cheap and so big that two people could share the meal.  Up until this point we had found neither true.  Justin not feeling well wanted a small meal so he ordered the nachos which was an entree but the plate was as large as the oval platter we use at home to put a roast on before serving it.  I had chosen the Susie Yazzie Taco, which was a huge size as well.  This restaurant was value for money that is for sure.  Having eaten as much as we could we returned to our room, Justin tried to get some sleep and I tried to catch some photos of the stars.  It was storming that night so there was a fair amount of cloud cover but the sheet lightning helped to provide light to the photograph.  Not that I knew what I was doing and hence the blurry photos.  

View from our room at night