Travel Tales

Our drive through Monument Valley this morning was breathtaking.  We contemplate our schedule and discuss the feasibility of staying here a night to take in the beauty and explore the backcountry.  Ah, that every looming, impending storm keeps us moving on.  Plus it’s “after the season” and campgrounds are closed. Dispersed camping (i.e. boondocking, dry camping, find a place and park it) is not allowed on the Navajo Nation.

Whenever we travel through an Indian Reservation, Al and I feel we are a guest.  A guest given permission to travel across THEIR land.  As a guest, we never travel off a main road without asking for permission or checking the rules/laws.  The Navajo Nation as well as other Indian Reservations are governed by their own entity.  However, we have been known to get “turned around” (I don’t get lost) on Indian land before.

Last year, on one of several trips to Phoenix, Highway 40 in New Mexico was shut down due to a propane truck rollover.  We arrived before highway patrol could efficiently divert and detour traffic.  There aren’t a lot of alternative roads in this neck of the woods desert.  Folks, us included, are driving all over the back roads trying to find a way around the incident and back to Hwy 40.  Our road atlas does not show many roads in the area.  We try following a Lexus with a GPS but that doesn’t work.  They keep turning around here, then there….’recalculating’.  Finally, Al and I see a group of guys working on a fence and decide to pull over before venturing any further on this gravel road.  I jump out of the vehicle and ask the guys for the best way to Gallup, New Mexico.  One guy lifts his head and briefly stops the task of pulling barbed wire to respond to my question, “Aye, you must be a traveling on Highway 40.  Ya know a propane truck rolled and that road ain’t open’n till tomorrow at best.  Cause a that, we ain’t seen so many white folk in these here parts in a long time”.  He politely gives me directions before returning to the mending of the fence.

His directions were tantamount to; turn right at Joe’s place, which is after the first bend in the road.  Go down a ways until ya see a huge wood pile.  That’s Rick’s place.  He’s been working on storing up his wood for the winter.  Don’t turn at that road, turn at the one after.  When ya come up over a ridge you’ll see ol’ Bill’s place.  He been pretty sick here lately but getting better.  Turn left after Bill’s and once you’re back on pavement, go …….

How I managed to navigate us off that reservation remains a mystery.  However, we must have looked like we knew where we were going because we had a line of followers…..other white folk turned around.

Sorry to have digressed.  I believe we were on the road heading to Page, Arizona and Lake Powell.  Ah, please allow me to digress once more.  Due to poor internet connection, my posts are about two-weeks behind my current/actual location.  I apologize for the delay, as well as not being able to comment on your blogs as much as I might like.  I’m hoping for a better internet connection once I’m in Phoenix next week.

Back to regular programing……  We arrive in the town of Page by noon and stay at the Page RV Park with full hook-ups.  This will give me a chance to clean the Rig AND me.  Once all spiffed up and sweet-smelling, we leave the RV behind and Al and I explore the area.  High on the list – a place to camp near the water’s edge.  We drive around this quaint little town first and then head over to the Wahweap Marina.  We check out the campground at the Marina.  Although very nice, we’re looking for something a tad more remote.

After a couple of hours of exploration, we find the perfect camp spot and return the next morning with RV in tow.  What an amazing spot.  There are only a few other RV’s and they are parked a good distance from us.  We could camp right along the shoreline, but choose to stay further up on a rocky, gravely surface.  The weather app on my smart phone keeps sending me alerts.  If we do get rain or snow, we’d like to be parked on solid surface and not fear getting stuck in sand.

We’re able to sleep with all the blinds up.  No neighbors nearby.  The next morning, we awake to the most incredible view out our bedroom window.  We watch the sunrise from the warmth of the RV while enjoying some hot, black coffee…..in bed.  Life is good!

It’s cold but sunny.  We bundle up, Bear included, and go for a walk after breakfast.

I’m loving it here.  Tomorrow we had planned to position ourselves at the Grand Canyon with full hook-ups to ride out the storm, but my phone keeps alerting me to a high wind warning.  Al and I get on the internet for verification and review the latest weather forecast.

Yahoo, we are NOT traveling in the expected 60 mile per hour winds.  Guess we’ll just have to guts it out in this location.  I know, it’s a tough job  🙂