Native Indian lands - arches and red rocks - Day 11

A lot of driving again today but it was well worth it. We left Page, Arizona and followed Route 163 to Monument Valley. This is one of the few historic national parks that is not managed by the federal government. In fact, these magnificent rock pillars are protected by the Navajo Indians.

The road to Monument Valley runs through the Navajo Indian reservation, a territory that is larger than Belgium. From the distance, we already see the red rock peaks and table mountains famous from many Western and Hollywood movies. (such as Once upon a time in the West, A Space Odyssey, Back to the Future, etc).

At the Arizona-Utah state border, we meet Ruth, a friendly Native American woman who offers her handcrafted jewelry for sale. As she points out a little house standing between green shrubs and the red rock peaks, she tells us a story about how she was born in this Valley. "That is my house." she says, with a typical thick Native accent, "That's where I was born and that's where I will grow old with my husband." Then she holds out a dozen of necklaces. "This is what I do to make a living." Of course, now my Mom just can't resist buying one. :-)

In this area, you see Native Americans everywhere. From the gas station shop to a local Burger King. It seems like they have adjusted, or at least grown accustom, to American culture. Still, it is clear that they live at their own pace, in their own way.

As we drive through the reservation, we see many free standing, shabby looking houses. There are no back yards on these lots, instead, lots of junk and old big pick up trucks are scattered in their land. Here and there, dream catchers play with the wind or deer antlers are placed on the roof.

From the Indian reservation, we take Highway 191 through the towns of Bluff and Blanding. Not much to see here, except for a dinosaur museum, motels, steakhouses and gas stations. I wonder what these town people do for a living.

The drive up to Moab, the entrance point of the Arches National park, is stunning. We see a lot of different things: beautifully shaped red rock formations, vast fields with cows and sheep, mountain ranges covered in snow (the beginning of the Rocky Mountains) and of course stretches of desert. We never get bored, even though we spend so many hours driving.

After 5 hours, we reach the entrance to the Arches National Park. These rocks are absolutely amazing. I know, rocks again, but they look like they're from another world. These rocks are known for their arch formations. Millions of years of wind erosion has caused these rocks to transform into wonders of nature. Too bad we had a cloudy afternoon sky. The pictures turned out OK, but with a blue sky, this park must be even more impressive.

At 8PM, we arrive at Green River. We enter Main street and discover that this is about the only street in this town. It's also where our motel 6 for the night is : East Main street. The only thing we need is dinner and a bed. So we check in, get some food at the local diner and are ready to hit the hay.

We will need our sleep. We're driving to Cedar City tomorrow, but will make a stop at another incredible canyon: Bryce Canyon.

I took A LOT of pictures today. Hope you'll enjoy them. Oh, I also noticed my lens was kinda dirty. I cleaned it today so the next set of pic's should turn out spotless.