Day 6 - Monumental Observations

With four solid days of hiking in the books, it was time for a day of driving, gawking and being filled with awe by both nature and humans. But first, a kudos to Kokopelli lodge for maybe the best quick stop travel hotel in existence. With a cheap rate ($80 or so), easy check-in, super fun and clean decor and a two minute walk to an overly enjoyable Moab downtown, there is nothing to dislike. Were this an Amazon review, I’d give it an "A+++++, would buy from again” rating.

After a quick checkout, delicious iced coffee from Moab Coffee Roasters, breakfast wraps from Love Muffin Cafe (don’t judge me for another double breakfast - I’m on vacation) we hit the road for a quick 150 miles to Monument Valley, but not without a detour to Newspaper Rock. 

Newspaper Rock is a 45 minute detour from 491 and well worth the time. Whereas the drawings in Capitol Reef were clearly to communicate the existence of aliens to future visitors, Newspaper Rock was more along the lines of doodlings by artistic tribesman. From men standing on horses to jackass vandals, you’ll get a good view of centuries of drawings that will entertain for full minutes and make you think, “Yeah, that was worth it."

From Newspaper Rock it was a couple of quick hours to Monument Valley where one thing became abundantly clear - grand, aww inspiring structures combined with crystal clear skies make one quickly lose any sense of distance. Multiple mile wide buttes were approached for minutes on end at full speed without ever getting any closer. While I could attempt to capture these with words, sub par iPhone photos will do better than I could ever imagine. Enjoy.

As one might deduce from previous ramblings, a day of limited physical activity leaves me with plenty of energy to focus on how much I dislike other tourists. Examples:

• If you see approximately 1,000 signs that say “Tribal Land, No US Parks Passes Accepted”, please assume this applies to you as well. Otherwise you risk making a 10 car entry line take 45 mins to process while 6 of those 10 cars argue the policy (No exaggeration - I timed it)
• Kudos to the native who claimed land next to an often flooded road and charges $5 to go through his yard. Perfect foresight and price point. Boo too the guy we saw say no and turn around.
• Germans are everywhere. EVERYWHERE. They will rise again and try to take us down if China doesn’t first. (Please appreciate an avoidance of recent data breach rants and red herrings here)
• Selfie sticks are a thing. You use them so you can take photos that don’t look like a selfie. This is so, so sad.
• Those boxy Kias really just want to be Elements (aka, second best car ever other than the Tesla Model X). Tell me this photo doesn’t look like an old school Element add.

One more thing before I throw a wrap up paragraph and future post teaser your way...it's become apparent that a PSA needs to be issued for proper tourist placement, so here it goes:

Tourist Protip: Don’t sit, stand or pose in any of the following locations. It is rude and irritating.:

• Doorways
• Narrow Paths
• Signs/Information Booths
• Next to me
• Touching me
• On top of me (in any way)
• In me (figuratively and literally)

Having had more than enough fun in two awe filled hours driving the Monument Valley scenic loop, we jumped back on the road to view the four corners (worth visiting if you’re ever within an hour’s drive) and then on to Mesa Verde where we arrived just in time to catch a glimpse of ancient dwellings and eat our fill of Navajo tacos. More on this awesomeness tomorrow.