Monument Valley Trip

ROAD TRIP

Over the summer I went on what basically amounted to a field trip for teachers. It was a memorable trip, but one with several missed opportunities. One of these opportunities was Monument Valley. We drove to within view of the monoliths but that was it. After the trip I decided to return someday. The ole wife, cory (bro-in-law) Jackson (nephew), Trevor(bro) and made the trip, this time to actually explore Monument Valley. The trip was a quick two dayer and we covered a lot of ground. We were up by sunrise and didnt put our heads down till well after sunset. Our first stop was the Betatakin ruins of Navajo National Monument. Unfortunately for us the rangers werent willing to hike with us down to the ruins and without the guides you are not allowed down to them. Fortunately for us they wouldnt go because it would have been a long cold, hike into the snow filled valley! In fact just hiking to the overlook young Jackson slipped on ice and threw a fit that could have awoken a hibernating grizzly. NNM is surely a place I will return to.
Monument Valley, while being a little commercialized, was an amazing location. The driving tour around the weathered landforms was well worth the time, and the two hikes that are allowed without a tour guide we found ourselves without any human company as we hiked around one of the "mittens." Day 2 of our trip we decided to head further south, and made our way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Being at over 7000 ft it was frigid but at the same time was exhilarating. The air was clean and crisp and visibility was amazing. In fact we were able to see the Arizona Strips Mount Trumball from the South Rim. I would recommend a trip to the South Rim for everyone living in the southwestern United States. It is only a 4-5 hour drive from Southern Utah. I know the North Rim is much closer but going to the South Rim is a completely different experience from that of the North Rim.

SUNRISE ON THE SOUTH RIM