oxide and shaped by the wind, frost and heat. T e blue-gray rocks are manganese oxide while the valley fl oor is covered in red siltstone. T e monuments following millions of years of erosion have been chiselled into diff erent rock formations. Many of the rock formations look like animals, bearing names such as: Eagle Rock, Setting Hen, T underbird and Bear and Rabbit. Other monuments have names like: Saddleback, Stagecoach, T e King On His T rone and T e Big Indian. It was the early Anasazi Indians who called Monument Valley [Tse Bii Ndzisgaii], the ‘Valley Between the Rocks’. T e two giant monoliths called East and West Mittens, according to Navajo mythology, were originally the mittens [gloves] of the ancient Gods and leſt on the valley fl oor, waiting for the Gods to return. T ere are several ways of viewing
the park. One is to drive from Kayenta, Arizona to Mexican Hat, Utah [40 miles], using Highway 163. T is highway and the Arizona-Utah border bi-sects Monument Valley, with most of the monuments in Utah. You will, however, be restricted by the fence along the highway. T e best way to see the valley is to drive four miles from Gouldings to the Visitor Centre at the View Hotel. It is here that you have your fi rst view of three picturesque monuments: West Mitten, East Mitten and Merrick Butte. T e view, depending on the natural light
and time of day, can be overwhelming. For a small fee, you can drive your own car out to John Ford’s Point, but the road is very bumpy and dusty. You will also be restricted from seeing some monuments as the Ear of the Wind. T e best method is to take the Goulding’s Bus Tour for $50. It is nearly a four-hour bus ride, with pick up and return to the RV Camp. T e bus tour is a 17-mile loop through some of the most unique scenery in the world. At the base of the T ree Sisters
Monument is John Ford’s Point, a 360- degree view of the valley. John Ford was a legendary fi lm director who used John Wayne and Monument Valley to produce such classic fi lms as: Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache and T e Searchers. Our personal favourite viewpoint was the North Window. For my wife and myself, Monument
Valley is a very spiritual place, not in a religious sense, but just the awesome beauty of Mother Nature. On the tour, a Navajo guide provides information on geology, mythology and facts about the park and its people. Stops at various Hogans [Hooghans] are built into the tour with Navajo women illustrating traditional weaving. Also along the route are numerous artisans and vendors selling arts, craſt s, native foods and souvenirs. Arizona is advertised as the ‘Sun State’,
but do not restrict yourself to Southern Arizona. In our opinion, the most beautiful
parts of this state are found in the north. Monument Valley is under 5,400-ſt in elevation and has a average March temperature of 54/33°F.....warm by Canadian standards. Do not limit your RV’ing to the south. Give yourself a little push and leave your comfort zone. In our fi ve years of being snowbirds,
we only experienced snow once and that was at Twenty-Nine Palms, just north of Palm Springs, California. An American novelist, Willa Cather,
described Monument Valley as: “Elsewhere the sky
is the roof of the world But here the earth
Leaving RV Camp (Park) in Monument Valley in Big Rock Door area. is the fl oor of the sky”.
Fort Victoria RV Park
300 Hookups Free Showers Laundromat City Bus Playground
Water/Sewer/Electric/TV WiFi & Modem Access Sani-dump Salmon Fishing Charters Whale Watching Tours
Just 6 km from City Centre 340 Island Hwy,
Victoria BC V9B 1H1
250-479-8112 • Fax: 250-479-5806
info@FortVictoria.ca
www.FortVictoria.ca RVT 140 • MARCH/APRIL 2011 21
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