June 26 – June 29
Leaving the lush green valley and cool temperatures of Angel Fire, we headed west for a completely different experience in Monument Valley. Having driven the road linking Angel Fire and Taos multiple times, Bill felt confident about taking this route with the RV. The eight hour drive via US and New Mexico highways took us along painted rock walls and through towns like Coyote, Farmington, Shiprock, Mexican Waters and Kayenta.
Gouldings Monument Valley RV Park
Base camp for this stop was Gouldings Monument Valley RV Park. The RV Park is near Gouldings Lodge in Rock Door Canyon. RV sites here are gravel over hard-packed red sand. Our site was small and definitely not level which made parking the RV and the truck challenging. The dogs had to adjust to the lack of grass and we learned to clean their dusty red paws after each walk. However, these small inconveniences were offset by the location of the RV park and the magnificent view through the canyon door.
The Location and History
Located on the Arizona-Utah border near the Four Corners area, Monument Valley lies within the Navajo Nation Reservation. This area of the Colorado Plateau is characterized by large sandstone buttes, some reaching as high as 1000 feet above the floor of the valley. It is easily recognizable as the backdrop for a number of well-known movies thanks to the efforts of Harry and Mike Goulding.
Harry Goulding was a sheep trader looking for a new business opportunity and a place to call home. In the early 1920s, Harry and his wife Leone, whose nickname was “Mike,” visited Monument Valley and were enamored with the area. Although Monument Valley had once been part of the Paiute Indian Reservation, the reservation relocated and areas of land opened up for sale. The Goulding’s jumped at the chance to purchase a substantial plot of land in Monument Valley and quickly set up a Trading Post.
Starting out in tents, the Goulding’s conducted business with the local Navajo people, trading food and other goods for handcrafted items like rugs and jewelry. After several years living and working in tents, Harry and Mike constructed a permanent building, now the Goulding’s Trading Post Museum.
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the Navajo Reservation suffered immensely. Harry heard of a movie production company scouting out locations in the Southwest to use in films. He believed that bringing movie production to Monument Valley would help the local Navajos with much-needed income.
So Harry and Mike set out on a journey to Hollywood, California with their last $60. By luck and perseverance, Harry met the famous director John Ford. When Ford saw Harry’s photos of Monument Valley, he knew it was the perfect location for his next movie. The Gouldings received an advanced payment, and in a few days, John Ford and his crew began filming Stagecoach starring John Wayne.
Over the years, the Gouldings continued to host movie crews, photographers, artists, and tourists. They built lodge rooms and a dining facility to accommodate their guests. Since then, Goulding’s Lodge has expanded to host thousands of visitors from all over the world who come to see Monument Valley.
In 1962, Knox College of Illinois took over the Trading Post and Lodge and the Gouldings retired in Arizona. Unfortunately, Harry fell into poor health. In 1981, the LaFont family bought the property, the same year that Harry passed away. Soon after, Mike was able to return to her home in Monument Valley to spend her final days, passing away in 1992. — gouldings.com
For our first day here, we decided to walk over to the lodge. There is a hiking trail from the campground to the lodge but, being unfamiliar with the terrain, we decided to take the longer route via the road. Along the way, we stopped at the convenience store to see what they offered in case we needed any supplies. At the lodge we toured the Trading Post Museum, stepped into John Wayne’s Cabin (actually Mike Gouldings potato cellar), “met” John Wayne at the Saloon, and tried out a stage coach.
Before arranging a shuttle ride back to the RV park, we viewed the menu for the restaurant, anticipating a possible evening outing, and picked up a few items at the souvenir shop.
Our Full Day Tour
The next day we took one of Goulding’s tour packages of Monument Valley. We chose the all day tour since it included Mystery Valley in the morning, a barbecue lunch, and Monument Valley in the afternoon. Why not see as much as possible? We were told to meet our native Navajo guide at the RV Park office at 8:45 a.m. He was a bit late picking us up but soon we were on our way to the lodge where we were joined by two more couples – one from New York, the other from Germany.
A Navajo Hogan
Our first stop of the tour was at a native hogan (a dome shaped one room home) where our guide explained the construction and use of the structure. We learned that the hogan is built to reflect the harmony the Navajo have with the universe and all living creatures.
The dirt floor represents Mother Earth and is kept very clean. A single door facing east to welcome the morning rays of the sun, and an opening in the center of the roof that represents the sky and serves as a hole for the stovepipe. In this way, with dirt and the sky as part of the home, the Navajo stays connected to what he holds most dear. A kerosene lamp throws shadows on the log walls where wedding baskets and cradleboards are hung. — discovernavajo.com
Inside the hogan, we watched as a native Navajo woman demonstrated yarn spinning and rug weaving.
Our guide also explained the significance of the cradleboard and its lacings.
Mystery Valley
Leaving the hogan behind, we entered Mystery Valley. Mystery Valley is a section of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park with well-preserved Anasazi Ruins, rock art, natural arches, and box canyons that you can’t see from the main highway. Due to the back-country nature of this tour, its not as popular with tourists as Monument Valley and is only accessible in the company of a Navajo guide. The roads are poor, with deep sand and no signs so having a guide is critical.
Lunch Time
Midway through the tour, our guide stopped and gave us the opportunity to hike back to see some ruins and petroglyphs while he went ahead to set up for lunch.
By the time we caught up with him, he had a nice charcoal fire started, plus a cooler of soft drinks and lunch boxes containing condiments, chips, a cookie, and an orange. We sat at picnic tables in the shade of trees and a sandstone rock wall while our guide grilled hamburgers.
Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed the opportunity to relax and learn more about our fellow tour members. The Germans were a young couple from Düsseldorf who had booked a six week tour of the United States through booking.com. They were a delightful couple on holiday from their jobs in law enforcement.
Monument Valley
After lunch our guide took us on the famous 17-mile loop of Monument Valley. On this portion of the tour, we had the opportunity to view many of the famous monuments including East and West Mittens, John Ford’s Point, Three Sisters, Totem Pole, Artist’s Point and the North Window.
The afternoon temperature while we were in Monument Valley hit 100 degrees. We watched as storm clouds began to build in the distance and head our way. The wind picked up and soon we were in a dust storm – fun in an open air vehicle. Unfortunately the little bit of rain from the storm was insufficient to wash off the dust so we carried a bit of the valley out with us.
As you can tell, we had a great time in Monument Valley. I can’t wait to re-watch some of the movies that were filmed here just to say “we were there”!
Captain Nathan Brittles : Well, on my way. Goodbye, Mac. Say goodbye to Abby.
Abby Allshard : [she walks up] And you’ll do no such thing, Nathan Brittles. ‘Goodbye’ is a word we don’t use in the cavalry. To our next posting… [she hugs him]
— She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)
