What a Wonderful World (An #AtoZChallenge Post): N is for Navajo Nation

 

A green roadside sign reads "Entering Navajo Nation." An advertising sign next to it says, "Indian Ruins Tillamook Milkshakes 1 Mile." (Having grown up in Oregon, the Tillamook reference makes me smile, as Tillamook is certainly not located in the Navajo Nation. Tillamook does, however, make good ice cream!)

My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures—some pre-retirement, some post. Today’s location: Navajo Nation.

 

The first tribal park we stopped at was one that checked off a bucket-list item that I had had since childhood—well before the phrase “bucket-list” was even coined: Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park. Four Corners is just as described: the place where the four corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. Who says that I can’t be two (or four!) places at once! The April day we visited was windy and cold, but probably kept the crowds down and made it easier to take photos without people in the background.

I crouch at Four Corners, with my right foot in Utah, my left foot in Colorado, my right hand in Arizona, and my left hand in New Mexico. The wind blows my hair in my face.

After that quick stop, we proceeded to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. What an iconic place! We took the 17-mile loop drive to be able to get closer to the towering features. A word to the wise, though: the road is (at least when we visited in April) very rutted in places. We managed to traverse it in our all-wheel drive RAV 4, but we noticed a Dodge (Charger, I think) in front of us that went up on three wheels when attempting to go down the steepest hill. On our way back, we noticed a van turn around at that same spot, and the car in front of us tried to warn the driver of a convertible Ford Mustang that he wouldn’t be able to make the drive. The Mustang kept going, and I’m curious to know if he figured out to turn around, or if he ended up going up on three wheels (or fewer!) like the Dodge. A high-clearance, AWD vehicle is definitely recommended for this drive.

The spot in the road called Forrest Gump Point, where the title character stopped running in the movie, Forrest Gump. A road leads toward the red mountains of Monument Valley.

Along the drive, there are numerous places to pull over, admire the view, and take photos. Several of those pull outs also have places where tribal members sell various goods. We were there on a cold, windy day, so there weren’t as many vendors, but we did enjoy lunch of Navajo tacos and warm fry bread at one stop.

My husband John stands at John Ford's Point, a flat overlook with dramatic red rock formations around it. It was named for the director of classic Western movies, and was featured in films like The Searchers, starring John Wayne. 

The Three Sisters formation: two taller columns surround a smaller, pointier column

After the drive, we were fortunate enough to have booked a campsite in the park. The campground is appropriately called “The View.” And what a view it was! While we were putting up our tent, we were seriously wondering if we were going to blow off the hill in the middle of the night, but fortunately the winds died down and we enjoyed a cold, clear, calm night filled with stars against the setting of Monument Valley. One other person braved the elements and set up a tent; the nearby cabins and RV camping sites were much more popular that night.

Our small blue tent is dwarfed by the West and East Mitten Buttes, which are red rock formations that are shaped like mittens                                                                                            

The view from our tent the next morning shows the orange sun rising between the two Mittens

Navajo Nation did not disappoint at all, and I highly recommend a visit!

 

Come back tomorrow to see where in the world we’ll visit next!