Monument Valley to Zion......
We said our farewells to the Grand Canyon and Arizona – for now -and continued into the Navajo Territory. There were many Trading Posts and we stopped and spoke with Pernell and Brenton who told us of many interesting facts about the Navajo believes and culture. Pernell talked about their main aim as being able to live in harmony with Mother -Nature. We would like to thank him for his time and how he explained about the importance of the Navajo traditions being taught, passed down through the generations, and kept alive. Pernell explained how he had read about William Wallace and compared him to a famous Navajo warrior, who was not willing to be dictated to by the so-called higher authorities either. It was not appropriate for us to photograph them although we did get permission to snap their Trading Post. This was due to a strong belief that a part of them is being taken away each time they are photographed. Jemma bought some hand crafted decorated hair clips that included the Arizona Rose, Mother of Pearl, and a humming bird as a sign of love.
Later on as we drove through Utah, we passed another Trading Post and we were amused by the three road signs that followed which read -“Indians – Nice friendly Indians –Its Ok! Turn Now!”
As we approached the Monument Valley the scenery was stunning. There were columns of rock formations which jutted up from the desert floor and stood ahead of us so grandly. As the daylight came to a close shadows were thrown. Phil loved this place as memories of John Wayne came flooding back and it was easy to imagine a wagon train rolling past! Monument Valley is one of the world’s most recognised landscapes. It was great timing to be able to capture the sun-setting over the monuments, as many others were there waiting to do also! We camped at the Goulding’s Good Sam Park and enjoyed yet another campfire, to the soundtrack of ‘A fist Full of Dollars’!
Before dawn, Phil was up (as he has been many times on our trip!) to see the monuments as they were silhouetted in a dazzling pink which filled the sky. As we trekked the windy road out of the Monument Valley, we had a strange sense that someone had been there before us and our minds were taken back to a scene of bygone days. The camera was forever clicking as each turn bought a new scene, each worthy of a mention!
We took our next trek out of Utah and back to Arizona before finding ourselves back in Utah once more! Our destination was to be Zion National Park – another ‘must see’ recommendation that we have taken along our way (from Grant in Camping World!) We took a pleasant pit-stop at the Hitch’n’Post in Kanab before heading into Zion the next day. This happened to be on January 20th 2009 – the day Obama made history and became the 44th U.S. President.
To enter the park we had to negotiate a tunnel – the one mile + long Mount Carmel Tunnel. This was built in 1927 when cars were small and much less in number. We were amused by the fact that the ranger came out to measure Nessie to find out if we would need an escort through the tunnel! It was concluded that we ‘should be fine’ if we pull in our mirrors and proceed with care! As many drivers will be aware- driving without mirrors may be compared to driving with blinkers on! It was very tight in the tunnel and unlit – we spent all of our time in the centre of the road and we are still not sure what would have happened if we had met a Nessie or something similar coming the other way!
Another natural wonder, the Zion Canyon has been carved and shaped by the Virgin River beginning approximately 15 million years ago and has a natural beauty. The red road led us down a series of hair pin bends and helter -skelter trails to the base of the canyon. We enjoyed a picnic by the river side on our way down the canyon! Once again Nessie’s gearbox was complimented by Phil!
Upon reaching the mouth - the cliffs soared above us and again we found ourselves in an inspirational place. The walls of the canyon towered over us at approximately 2000 feet in most places. Zion has a unique geography as it is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces and this combination has led Zion to be home to a number of diverse animals and unusual plants too.
We took a walk along the Lower Emerald Pool Trail, which joins the middle and upper trails to form a series of pools and water-falls. This cliff side trail was hair -raising at times, especially with the children! The end of the trail had even been closed due to icy conditions. We all continue to enjoy spotting wildlife and were able to see plenty of mule deer on this trail.
The children began their work towards becoming Zion Junior Rangers and this involved watching an informative film at the visitor centre and then using all of their senses to discover new things as we travelled around the park. We also watched an I-max cinema film about the history of Zion.
We camped at the Zion Canyon Campground and enjoyed our tea cooked on the camp-fire again! We got talking to our neighbours who had an RV which was very similar to Nessie and enjoyed an evening with them, chatting over a glass of wine or two! We have been very fortunate in meeting Tim and Sylvia and are very grateful to them for all of their kindness and help, as you will soon discover as our story unfolds! They also have two very tolerant dogs which the children have adopted and have had great fun with!
We left Zion in Utah and came into Nevada where we just had to make a visit into Las Vegas!
FACTOIDS-
· The Navajo Reservation to the East Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park consists of 16 million acres and is the largest of any south-western tribe.
· The Navajo tribes were originally from a farming background.
· Some Navajo continue to live in traditional six or eight-sided houses, known as a Hogan, and raise sheep, goats and corn. The Hogan is built in harmony with the universe and all living creatures on earth.
· The Navajo language is still alive and strong and being taught in many Navajo Territory schools, along- side English.
· A Chapter House is the Navajo equivalent to a Town Hall.
· Water is very scarce in Navajo Country, and most Chapter Houses are built near newly developed wells, made possible through a tribal water development programme.
· Local Recreation activities are enjoyed by young and old at the new Chapter Houses.
· The Chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council is the Chief Executive of the Navajo Tribe.
· Hunting gatherings still take place in the traditional way on special occasions, and each warrior will carve out his own arrow head – so that individual kills may be recognised.
· The Navajo are famous for their finely woven rugs, silver and turquoise jewellery and sand paintings.
· The jewellery making techniques and patterns vary considerably from tribe to tribe, this being not dissimilar to the clans and tartans of Scotland.
· Zion National Park is 229 square miles of the most unique and varied terrain found in the country.
· In 1858, Johnson explored to the mouth of Zion Canyon.
· Zion has its own snail, which is only the size of a pin head and is found no- where else on earth!
· The meaning of Zion is – Peace, tranquillity and a sanctuary of God.
· Zion has some of the highest sandstone peaked mountains in the world.
· Zion has 800 native species of plant life, 75 varieties of mammals, 36 varieties of reptiles and 270 varieties of birds.
· Nine different layers of sedimentary rock can be found within the Zion Park, ranging from Dakota Sandstones to ancient Kaibab Limestone.
WILDLIFE HITS-
· Mule Deer
· White tailed deer
· Signs of Beavers having been at work!
· Scat from a Ring-Tailed Cat!
Thursday, 12 February 2009 14:47:59 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
USA