It’s 5:00 on Sunday Night and We’re Still in Utah. Work is Going to Suck Tomorrow!

But oh boy was it worth it! What a long crazy weekend it was on my first trip to the Navajo Reservation. You’ll notice I didn’t say The Rez. I feel like that’s one of those terms that only Natives can use because it seems slightly racial when coming from a bilagaana like myself. For those who don’t know, that means “white man” so for Jenn’s friends and family, I know when you’re talking about me, ha-ha.

Jenn, her two boys, and I kicked off the weekend by leaving about 4 hours later than our desired 7:00 AM departure. The reason for the late start was because Jenn was sick and needed to sleep. Unfortunately, this would be a major issue for most of the weekend, with her not really feeling even half-way normal again until Sunday morning. Despite the sickness, she soldiered on during our drive. We had made it all the way to Flagstaff when a National Monument sign caught my attention. It was for Sunset Crater National Monument. We had already passed by when we decided we wanted to turn back and check it out. Before the boys could object we were making a U-turn on the highway and headed back.

Sunset Crater was the first volcanic area I’ve ever visited, so I was fascinated by the lava rocks and the ash throughout the landscape. We did a short hike on the Lave Flow Trail. It was really interesting to see how the lava rock flowed like a river before hardening. It was also fascinating to see how many areas had become completely infertile from the ash. In the same area there were Pueblo several pueblo ruins. We stopped at the Wukoki Ruins. The house was massive and comparable to the Casa Grande Ruins we visited a few weeks ago. There were about 3 other ruins in the area that we had to skip because of time. In the end it was another $20 toward my National Parks & Monuments pass. Only $50 more to go until my pass has paid for itself.

Lava Flow Trail

Wukoki Ruins

We were back on the road for the 2^nd half of the trip. We made a quick stop for dinner at Cameron Trading Post. The Navajo Taco there is delicious and the fry bread is amazing! Our waiter turned out to be an actor who had appeared a Twilight movie and has many shirtless photos available on the Internet. I’m convinced Jenn recognized him from the skin-tight t-shirt, but she claims she was told by another customer. Only joking of course :)

We got to her family's home around 9 PM and got to rest for about 5 minutes before we were back on the road to a local Chapter House to pick up a cake for the party the next day. This would become a very familiar road before the end of the weekend. In fact, the first thing we did the next day was wake up and get back on that road to Page, AZ. Page is the closest large town to their home so all told there would be 4 trips to Page and 3 back before the weekend was over.

Because Jenn was under the weather, Saturday turned into a pretty uneventful day. We had to scrap plans to go to Horseshoe Bend and only had about 20 minutes to go to a scenic view of Page Dam and Lake Powell. The rest of the day was spent eating dinner, laying next to Jenn while she tried to sleep off the sickness, and going back to Page for the high school graduation ceremony of her nephew. And just like that we were passed out on the futon until morning.

Sunday came and Jenn was finally feeling like herself again, so we decided to pack in as much as possible. Upset that she missed out on all the adventures we could have had on Saturday, Jenn decided to dial it up to eleven. She suggested we add an extra hour and a half in the wrong direction to our trip home by going to Monument Valley. She had a willing partner in me, but we figured it best not to tell the boys until we already on our way.

First we took the boys and Jenn's nephew to Horseshoe Bend. Of course they thought it was boring, but I was in awe. There is a reason it is probably the second most photographed site in Arizona behind the Grand Canyon. I heard someone complain that there needs to be a railing there for safety. I fought every urge to punch them in the face.

Horseshoe Bend

Next it was off to Monument Valley. The drive was beautiful with great views of Navajo Mountain. On the trip a second National Monument caught our eyes and before we knew it we tacked another 18 miles onto the trip by going to Navajo National Monument. To my dismay, the cost to view this Monument was $0, so no more work toward that $80 pass. Navajo Monument was amazing to see from a distance, but we didn't have time for the guided tour down into the canyon to view it up close.

Finally, we were on our way to Monument Valley with 3 very cranky boys in the backseat at this point. The drive to Monument Valley from Kayenta is amazing too. The entire time I thought the things I was seeing were part of the monuments because they were that spectacular. I learned that saying hello in Navajo at the gate to the park means you get free admission because they know you're a tribe member. But for some reason I think if I rolled up and said "Yaateh" (accents missing), they'd probably keep the conversation going and I'd just hand over my $20 after the next sentence. I know there is science that can provide theory and maybe even fact for how the structures in the valley were formed, but this is one of those things that makes me believe there was more than just nature involved. I wish I could have sat and stared all day, and I really wish we had time to hike down into the Valley, but then the title for this article came into play and it was time to get our butts on the road.

Monument Valley

So other than unforgettable scenery, what were my takeaways from this trip. As always, it was the simple things that will stick with me. Jenn told me that her mother moved back to the ranch after years of living in a town when her children were all grown up. I can certainly understand the appeal. There are people who wouldn't want to spend a night without running water or having to use an outhouse. I can't say I blame them because that is something I wasn't exactly a huge fan of. However, the trade-off is worth. To wake up in the morning and take your cup of coffee outside to look at the beautiful/peaceful landscape that surrounds their land would be worth every bit of it. Sometimes I think our species screwed up so bad when we decided to forfeit serenity in the name of "progress".

Now to spend the rest of my night Googling "Tiny Houses"