Day 7 Monument Valley

Today was one of our longest drives.  270 miles from Page, Arizona to Moab in Utah. 

We had breakfast at the hotel again after a quick video call with the kids back home, then we packed our cases as set off, stopping at Wal-Mart to stock up on lunch supplies and Kens Tours from yesterday for a souvenir fridge magnet.  Keith has done all the driving so far and wanted me to prove to myself that I could do it! So I drove the 3 miles from Wal-Mart to Kens! 😁

Although the scenery is mostly desert and rock it is surprising how often the landscape changes in colour and shape and the amount and type of vegetation.  If you start getting bored with the scenery it's not a problem as within 30 mins it'll be different.

 

 

We got to the Monument Valley area about half past one and paid our $20 for the visitor centre (this is Navajo land and not included in the National Parks Pass.  From here there are some stunning views.  We wandered round the gift shop whilst trying to decide whether to do the 13 mile desert drive. 

 

 

It is unpaved and we were slightly worried about attempting it in a hire car. (We also asked about the jeep tours but they were another $85pp for an hr and a half.)  We watched a few other cars set of on the drive and decided to give it a go.  What a fabulous decision.  The views got even more stunning.  Monument Valley is so majestic.  It was very dust and bumpy but so worth it.  

obligatory selfie!!

 

 

 

 

There are donation boxes dotted around if you wish to take photos of the "cowboy and horse"

 

 

 

 

 

We spent approx 2 hours here which we weren't really expecting so when we set the sat nav it still said we had 170 miles, more than 3 hrs, to our destination!  In hindsight this might have been a bit too ambitious for today but we had thought we would literally be driving through Monument Valley on our route with a quick stop to take photos.

We wanted to get to our hotel before nightfall as the instructions suggested it might be difficult to spot in the dark.  We stopped at a gas station in Moab and found some chicken for dinner then headed on.  We passed through the very pretty town of Moab and turned right to follow the river through the mountains!  Such stunning scenery, it was a shame we were in a hurry.  We promised oueselves to take some time in the morning to enjoy the setting.  We arrived at Castle Valley Inn with minutes to spare before dark.  Two deer greeted us as we approached the entrance.

We parked up and knocked on the owners door who gave us our keys and pointed us in the direction of our "suite".  Beautiful cabins set in tranquil gardens between the mountains, cant wait to properly explore in the morning. 

We heated our dinner in the well appointed kitchen/dining area and then spent the next couple of hours relaxing on the balcony listening to the night creatures and watching the stars (shame the moon is so bright I'm led to believe you can see the milky way on a dark night).  I think we might have found a little piece of paradise!