Coffee on the old-school gas station by the empty road. Sun shining straight into your eyes. $1 Sunglasses on your head. Wind blowing your hair, country music playing out loud in the car, black highway and the welcoming space in front of us, asking just to travel more, to travel further… After adventures of this morning, we left Arizona to come back to Utah again!
USA Road trip – part 3
Part 3
- Monument Valley, Utah
- Goosenecks State Park on the San Jose river, Utah
Welcome to Utah!
It was middle February, and the sun was shining brightly, turning our skin red even through the car windows (not that I was complaining!). Having that amazing weather, we reached the state border and got to Monument Valley. However, we were still on the area belonging to the Indian tribe Navajo.
Rock monuments in the valley
Did you know, that this valley is one of the most photographed places on Earth? I didn’t, but I’ve added my pictures taken there to that counting ;). Monument Valley is a place, where amazing rock formations, looking like monuments, arise from the empty desert. They are mostly sandstones, which is why, they are really easy to get eroded by the wind and water – and thanks to that – can have different forms created.
The valley is cut by the highway in the middle. If you want to see closely some of the rocks, then you need to turn from the main road and for $20 you can drive on the gravel road deeper in the valley. We decided, that our car may not be able to survive that and we were satisfied with the views, that we already had, so we didn’t go.
The Valley itself is very dry. Well, it is a desert. The only plants that live there are cactuses. Occasionaly, when there is a bit or a rain, you can find another plants and flowers. It is also really common to bump into dead animals and their not nicely smelling bones.
How to visit the valley? Drive through it and stop in some places – I don’t think there is big need to go out of the main road, because the views everywhere are similar (and it’s me, who is saying that – while I ALWAYS try to go out of main roads ;))
Goosenecks State Park on the San Jose river
There is one famous place on the Colorado River, which is called Horsehoe Bend. It’s located in Arizona, close to the city Page. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go there (time, time!). BUT! Władek found another place – really similar and surely as beautiful. You can get there from the main road from Monument Valley to Moab (where Arches NP is). The place is called Gooseneck State Park on San Jose River.
To reach it, you need to get out of the main road, climb few hills, park on one of them and then when you get off the car, you can see this:
Another amazing canyon curved by tiny river, showing amazing Earth history. During our Road Trip in USA I had only one thing in my mind “How is it possible, that there is so many unbelievable things in one place!” So unfair ;)
Next parts of the trip coming soon!
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