Mexican Hat Rock Formation

Town of Mexican Hat is named after this landmark

Beautiful Monument Valley

Goulding's Trading Post

Est. 1924

Home/office of Capt. Nathan Brittles

John Wayne's character in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"

Gouldings--Monument Valley

Goosenecks State Park

Supposedly the most stunning example of an entrenched river meander

(whatever that means)

San Juan River

About 3/4 of the way up

Mike on the edge trying to get a good shot

They call this road a "dugaway" because it's dug into the side of a cliff
That's where the road started way down below

View from the top of the mesa

Getting there was not fun

Anasazi ruins on top of the mesa

This is the Kiva, or ceremonial chamber

Prickly Pear Cactus in Bloom

Ancient Anasazi Cliff Dwelling

Gouldings Monument Valley RV Resort, UT: Woke up this morning to the patter of rain. Haven’t seen rain in a while. Went over to the restaurant for breakfast and after that went through the Gouldings Trading Post which is now a museum. Harry Goulding and his wife Leone (her nickname was Mike) came to Monument Valley in the early 1920s and set up a trading post. They conducted business with the local Navajo people who traded hand crafted items for food and other goods. The Gouldings lived upstairs over the Trading Post. Very nice place. John Wayne stayed with them when he was filming in the area. When the depression hit in the 1930s the Navajo people suffered greatly. The Gouldings heard of a movie crew scouting locations and so with their last $60 they set out for Hollywood, California, and managed to get a meeting with director John Ford. When Ford saw the pictures of Monument Valley he immediately gave them an advanced payment and in a few days filming started on “Stagecoach” with John Wayne. The Navajos were given parts in the movie and other jobs servicing the actors and crew. They actually filmed right here at the trading post and the surrounding area. After the museum we drove north to Mexican Hat, UT—named after the landmark rock formation. Made a side trip to Gooseneck State Park where the San Juan River makes 4 goosenecks through a deep canyon. Then I said, let’s continue north on this road and make a big loop stopping at Bluff for dinner and then back home. So we started up this road (State Rt. 261) which starts out paved, turns into gravel with 180 degree switchbacks and goes up the side of this huge mesa. 11% grade! I was freaking out. In some places the road wasn’t wide enough for two cars because of the boulders jutting out. And it was right on the edge! We finally made it to the top and just before that an eighteen-wheeler was coming the other way. I was so glad when we made it to the top. We stopped and walked around the granite up there and took some pictures. Then continued over the top of this beautiful mesa thick with cedars and sage brush against the beautiful red dirt and rock. Stopped at two Anasazi ruins—one out in the open on the mesa and the other we hiked up to a canyon and observed these cliff dwellings from the other side of the canyon. The prickly pear cactus were in bloom. Beautiful. Had dinner in historic Bluff where the Mormans settled in the early 1800s. Had a wonderful meal of beef ribs slow cooked with cabbage, onions, and carrots. They only buy open range beef with no hormones or anything else added and their vegetables come from a garden across the street. Drove back to Gouldings. Started out in the low 70s this morning. It was in the mid-60s at the top of the mesa. The high was 81.