Day 3: Valley of the Gods and back again

Hot and dry with a little light cirrus cloud.

Breakfast on the porch consisted of cranberry juice, scrambled egg and turkey ham on croissant, fried potatoes and green pepper, melon and grapes with salsa on the side.  Cinnamon bread and jams, coffee and tea.  Delicious!

Valley of the Gods Drive

Bob drove us round an undulating, twisting 12 mile dirt road through the Valley of the Gods.  It’s hard to describe this scenery without being repetitive.  The desert floor is covered sparsely with small spiney shrubs with tiny leaves, some with yellow flowers, which give a soft green hazy effect from a distance.  Rising from the desert are towering sandstone rock formations, the result of weathering over centuries, with great boulders littering the ground around them. 

When we regained the road we went to Goulding’s Trading Post where Bob and Mary after much deliberation and negotiation purchased a beautiful and expensive Navajo rug. 

We went on to the View Restaurant at Monument Valley where the view was spectacular and the food indifferent.   Not having much luck on the food front so far!

We did a 3 hour tour of Monument Valley in a jeep with a Navajo guide in the afternoon, over very rough ground.  A lot of energy was expended hanging on and leaping in and out to get a closer look.  The photographs explain why it was so worthwhile. 

Ruth and Peter at Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Petroglyphs at Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Ear of the wind

Dunes at Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Back at Valley of the Gods B&B we finished off the picnic food and had a long discussion with new Flemish speaking guests from Belgium about European politics. 

Looked at the night sky and could actually see the Milky Way.  Wished we could recognize the constellations.   And so to bed! 

P.S.  Diet not going very well....