Much of the driving around Shiprock and the Four Corners was quite dull: dry, light brown rocks all around, with little shrubs here and there. Somewhere in Utah, the landscape became far more dramatic. On the way to the Valley of the Gods, I stopped on the side of the highway to take pictures of the red rocks all around me. This was exactly what I had been looking for.
The Valley of the Gods, sometimes referred to as 'the other Monument Valley, is a huge plot of U.S. federal land, through which runs a 17 mile dirt road. It is a breathtaking place. I drove through it, stopping everywhere I could to take photos of the mesas and necks all around, standing like sentinels in a dry valley of red dust. It was the latter part of the afternoon when I arrived, and I soon had to find a place to sleep. I figured that I could either find a motel in the nearest town, or camp out in the Valley itself. I searched for some sign of civilization to see if it were even permitted. All I found was a bed and breakfast at the Western end of the trail.
The owners gave me a brochure, and told me that I was allowed to camp in the Valley, but that there are no facilities of any kind. I happily drove back in and found a comfortable flat area to pitch my tent. I slept under a huge monolith that night, as the winds rattled my tent.
The next morning I climbed up the monolith. From the side, it looks like a huge wall with a breach in one section. On one side is a sheer drop, while on the other is a huge pile of debris from the millions of years of erosion -- including huge boulders which were obviously once part of that wall-like mountain. I got up to the part that looks like a breach, and clung for dear life taking photos as powerful winds swept all around me.
I drove once more around the loop, still awe-struck, before I headed up to Muley's Point.
