Sunday, 14th September.
Daybreak found us scrambling around in the desert looking for the Wildcat trail which would lead us around the West Mitten, which we hoped to view up close as the sun rose.
The Mittens!
Gradually the sky lightened, we found the trail and the surrounding desert was revealed in all it's glory. The changing light was amazing, especially as we walked around the Mesa and viewed it from different angles. The color of the rocks was unbelievable
We were impressed, looking back to the hotel, at how well it blended in with the surroundings.
After completing the four mile hike we headed back to the hotel for a well deserved breakfast and then embarked upon a guided tour of the Valley. We had arranged this the day before and sure enough our Navajo guide showed up at the appointed hour with an open air vehicle.
Our guide for the trip was a friendly man called Aaron. We were the only paying guests but he had bought some visiting family members along for the tour as well. This added something special to the experience for us as he was talking the native Navajo language to the older family members. Aaron was raised by his Grandparents and grew up speaking only Navajo. English was a second language for him. He told us that for a while younger children did not learn Navajo and it was in danger of being lost. Now it is taught at school and so will be preserved for future generations.
After loading up into the truck we set off into the dusty desert to see different sites not seen unless accompanied by an official guide.
This is known as John Ford's Point after the movie director who made so many Western Films out here:
Petroglyphs!
The "eye", complete with eyelashes.
Apparently there is Gold behind this rock door if only you can get in:
All the Mesa's have names, these are the Three Sisters
This is Snoopy, lying on his back
Aaron was an excellent guide and told some wonderful stories, played the wooden flute and gave us a tremendous insight into the beliefs and values of the Navajo people. The tour lasted a good 40 minutes longer than scheduled but we loved every minute.
As a grand finale he had us hike to the top of this massive sand dune for a photo op:
and pose a la "Grasshopper"!
It was mid afternoon by the time we were done. We retrieved our gear from the Hotel who had kindly let us stow it in a storeroom so it wouldn't sit out in the baking sun. Then, we hopped on the bikes and pulled away from this incredible place. Only a short distance to go, back North into Utah, to a tiny town called Bluff. We found our Hotel for the next two nights, La Posada Pintada (The Painted Inn).
The view out the back explains the town name
And so ends another incredible day. We are fortunate indeed.
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