Long before Monument Valley the great rock formations are visible. We drive along the road towards our RV park in Goulding. From the campsite, we view the massive rocks that make Monument Valley so special.
From the Netherlands we have booked a tour with a guide along the famous rock formations and a bit of the back country. We arrive at the visitor center, which is currently being renovated. In the lobby of our hotel, we have agreed to meet with our guide. Only, the RV park has a different time zone than our guide, so for us it is 9 o'clock, but our guide lives an hour later. In the state of Arizona different time zones are used, namely Mountain Standard Time and Mountain Dayligt Saving Time.
Despite our late arrival, our guide has all the time for us to the tour. We drive to the various rock formations at which he explains the origin of the rock formations and what meanings they have. Each rock formation has its own name and its own meaning in the religion of the Navajo Indians. Monument Valley is also part of the Navajo Reserve.
While you can drive your own car through Monument Valley a tour is definitely recommended. The back country is off limits to private cars. With a camper it is certainly not advisable to drive through Monument Valley at all because the road is unpaved.
The guide also explains the names of the rocks and the creation of Monument Valley and the customs and religion of the Navajo Indians.
The guide took us to the back country where he showed us rock paintings, but also where he saw animals in rock formations. It was a bit of a search, but we saw the bear!
We were invited to a Hogan to see traditional weaving, but also to learn more about the Hogan and the life of the Navajo.
Monument Valley is special because of its vastness. The rocks are large and special in shape. Millions of years ago Monument Valley was a seabed, which today is reflected in small holes in the walls. These small gas bubbles were preserved under water, by erosion these were opened so that a funny pattern on the rock formations remained.
Monument Valley is also well known and favorite with Hollywood. Several major films were recorded in Monument Valley.
Photo gallery Tour of Monument Valley - Tse'Bii'Ndzisgaii - United States
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