#olblue

Today we actually woke up and hit the road on time, which I found very impressive considering we were up pretty late last night.  We both slept pretty well despite the appearance of our bunk beds—I guess we were either really tired or looks are deceiving…. Or maybe we had enough tequila J

Anyhow, we were on the road by 8 heading out of Santa Fe.  We were both discussing how happy we were that we stayed the extra day—it was nice to not have to rush out of there and we got that one last fantastic meal.  Felt like we did right by our parents as well, spending the time going around the city.  We embarked on what we assumed was to be an 8 hour drive and headed West out of Santa Fe.  Around noon we made it to Four Corners, where we hadn’t been in over a decade.  It has definitely changed.  Gone are the ghetto little huts selling jewelry, and in their place are formally constructed stalls in which the locals can sell their wares.  The monument itself is also different—what used to be a simple platform showcasing the four corners all intersecting is now a fancier sunken cement area, complete with perches all around to take photos from above.  The place cost $3 to get in and we basically just looked, took a couple photos, bought ridiculously delicious fry bread, and legt within 20 minutes.  We then drove through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, AND Arizona to head up to Monument Valley.

Now, Fern and I have been to MV before, but we both didn’t really remember what it was all about.  It was a pretty spectacular drive entering the valley, as there are huge red rock formations all over.  HUGE.  The colors are incredible, especially looking at the red rock against the blue skies.  The biggest blue skies you’ve ever seen.  While the whole place is stunning, we were glad that we decided just to drive through and not stay a night there. 

After getting through the valley, we headed toward Chinle, the little town in Arizona near Canyon de Chelly.  All along this drive there were burnt sienna sand dunes on both sides, something I hadn’t really seen before.  We must have taken a hundred pictures along the drive because at every turn there was some other spectacular color or formation that defies description.  I do not think any of the photos do the views justice, but we couldn’t help it.  We pulled into Chinle around 5:30 and checked into the Sacred Canyon Lodge, just inside the CDC Park grounds.  We went and had Navajo food for dinner and then decided to do a little drive around the South rim of the canyon.  Neither Fern nor I had ever been here, but man, oh man….. it is something else.  We pulled into an overlook not really knowing what to expect and had our minds blown.  The incredible vivid red of the canyon walls and the crazy rock formations and cave dwellings and ruins on the faces of rocks are unreal.  It was basically the witching hour when we got up there, so the lighting was phenomenal.  As we worked our way around the canyon wall, the sun started setting, changing the lighting a little bit at each stop.  We went a little crazy with the photos, you will have to forgive.

Fern mentioned something a couple of days today, which is something that is recurring on trips like these through places like this: while we are not necessarily spiritual people, seeing natural beauty and magnitude of these kinds makes it so clear why so many generations of people have always thought there exists some higher power…. It is difficult to not believe that when you see the colors and the shapes and the sheer size and majesty of some of these things.  I am just really, really happy that this trip worked out and that I get to be on it with my sister.

Tomorrow we are planning on getting up for a 6am hike around the canyon.  We were toying with the idea of horseback riding, but haven’t quite committed…. We will see.  We do have to be on the road at a decent hour to go to Flagstaff, about two hours away, to see my dear friend Becky, one of my BFFs from college (she and I studied in Siena together, I am going to see her and her hubby and her two kids, Cole and Siena).  I could NOT be more excited.