Blanding was at least 2 miles from anything naturally beautiful, and as far as 100 miles from "civilization". Any trip out of town was to either go hiking or have a destination. I would go to Salt Lake City Airport to pick up my son-300+ miles one way. That's a day trip.
After picking him up and heading back to Blanding, its usually dark by the time we are outside of Moab. I mean really dark. When he came out for Thanksgiving, we were heading home and he says Mom, are those cell towers? I looked at what he was looking at, and no, they weren't cell towers. It was the constellation Orion, so bright and big. He thought Orion's belt were cell towers. Nope, I anwered him, that's what we call a constellation. That began a great conversation about stars and spirits and kept us going the last 100+ miles home.
One sunny Saturday, and they were all sunny in the middle of the desert, I decided to take a road trip to the dirt mall in Monument Valley. It was just me and Kia in my little Celica. The space between Blanding and the Valley is massive, and for the most part, deserted.
I headed to the Valley, passing through White Mesa and Bluff. After Bluff, its a whole bunch of nothing for miles and miles. The next town is Mexican Hat on the San Juan River and has a cool little restaurant/motel. The last motel until Gouldings in the Valley. Mexican Hat is so named for a rock formation. A red rock pinacle, with a huge boulder in the shape of a hat balanced on top. I heard no one would climb it becuase no one wanted to disrupt the balance. Good idea. Crossing the San Juan River, you are officially on Reservation land.
My little car was having trouble climbing up and down mesas, and I was starting to freak a little about whether she'd make it or not. There really is a middle of nowhere, and we were in the middle of it. We keep going, and there, at the top of a mesa, is the largest full moon during the day that I have ever soon.
I stopped freaking out and started giving thanks for such an amazing sight. The moon was sitting on top of a mesa. It was so bright I imagined I could see craters. There are moments like that, always natural moments, that take my breath away. This was one of them.
My angst over my car's engine gone, we kept heading to the Valley. How do I describe Monument Valley? It is vast. The Valley has rock formations called the Mittens, that everyone has seen in any John Wayne western. I've seen the Mittens spotted with snow. I watched the Olympic Torch run through the Valley from the Visitor's Center. We were some of the only white faces in the crowd. There was a boy dressed in full on yellow feathers because he was going to dance. I asked him if I could take his picture. He wanted $5.00 which I didn't have, but I did give him $2.00 for the photo. You always need to ask before just pointing and shooting your camera.
I have flown in a hot air balloon over Valley of the Gods in the Valley and been to the top of Moki Dugway where the entire landscape is empty, except for the house at the bottom, that is a B&B. I have ridden on horseback into the backcountry with an Indian guide and have seen rock art in places you would never see unless you were on foot or the back of a horse.
This trip, I was headed for the dirt mall. The dirt mall is near the intersection of Arizona and Utah. The dirt mall is essentially a series of shacks with dirt floors. Artists sell their work to tourists there. Walk into any given shack and you'll be hit with the smell of weed. Start a conversation with some, and you can learn some interesting things. I have a lot of satisfaction knowing that most, if not all of my jewelry comes from an artist that I know, or know of. The artist is always willing to talk about their art and I am always asking questions.
This journey through my VISTA experience is a great execise in memories. I hope you are enjoying it as well.
Thanks for reading!
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