We sadly left our warm toasty little cabin layered in every cold weather layer we have! No snow this time but still in the minuses. Had breakfast at a small coffee shop in town, then drove the main highway through Capitol Reef NP. We took Highway 24 to Hainesville then the 95 south to Mexican Hat. It was a long drive but still very scenic with lots to look at; the landscape changed to something resembling the moon, all light grey and crumbly, then back to rich red cliffs,canyons, and dessert plains dotted with plant life. We had to stop at the Colorado Rivef lookout, in a huge Canyon, very cool but so so windy!!
Colorado River
Cool section of the road you wouldn’t want to linger in…
One of the 3 main bridges in the “Bridges National Monument”
The road took us down a steep gravel section along the side of a Canyon wall, called ‘Moki Dugout’ amazing views and warmer climate lower down. We had lunch in a tiny town called Mexican Hat, named after a tall rock formation near town with, you guessed it, a balancing rock on top resembling an upside down sombrero. Pretty neat.
The road we took at the bottom of Moki Dugout
Moki Dugout from above
At lunch, a very old place right on the banks of a river, we realised camping options were non-existent after Monument Valley, so we bee-lined for the small town there to get a camping spot on Navajo land.
Right after we entered the reservation, the side of the road lit up like diamonds in the setting sun; unfortunately the road-side dessert was absolutely covered with shards of broken glass and plastic. The rest of the roads in Utah I realised now had been so clean.
The wind made for unpleasant riding conditions across the plain; we were getting buffeted pretty hard and looking forward to a break! Monument Valley was quite a sight in the setting sun, huge towering monoliths of rock sticking straight up out of the plains.
Our campsite was ‘The Tipi Village’, a very cosy, small campsite with 5 huge tipis for rent as well as a log cabin. We opted for the more expensive campsite that had shade/tables and a wind wall, as the wind was howling and the ground was dust! Took pictures and enjoyed watching the setting sun over Monument Valleys’ money-makers (rocks).
GoPro shot of Tanguys
View from camp
Grabbed some food to cook back at the local store; all the other customers/servers in town were Native Indians, driving dusty, rough old beat-up trucks (mainly). Strange for me to see such segregation of the Natives and the whites; a real shame how they got treated way back when. Dinner back at camp, mercifully the wind had died down after dark.
–Zoe
More than a month on the bikes, on the road.
How are you feeling now? Relaxed, still looking forward to the next day, the next ride?
Scenic certainly, with amazing bridge-erosions.
Shame indeed how the real, native “Americans” were treated, the whites repeated themselves with the blacks, nowadays with innocent money-spending tourists, it’s in their redneck DNA I think.
Baci, immediately to the next post!
Happy first of May ! I send you a bunch of ” Lilly of the Valley ” flowers, to bring you good luck (as “they” say)
Ahaa, here is my morning story ! First wonderful episode is done now let’s see the continuing story of our 2 adventurers !
How is the bike doing T? All good now ?
Such beautiful colored, immense and wild rough sceneries ! We are not used to that in Europe that’s for sure…
So different from our gray Alps 🙂
Waiting to see you tomorrow guys, have good fun and keep warm !
Mum