August 8: A Monumental Day
Stunning! My ride through Monument Valley left me breathless today – miles of broad sweeping vistas of reddish brown, sun-scorched earth punctuated by magnificent, multi-hued buttes reaching up to the deep blue sky. I was so glad that I had the whole day to explore and appreciate this spectacular area of the Colorado Plateau.
I headed west out of Durango this morning hoping to visit the Four Corners National Monument as it was closed when I stopped by two years ago. However, traffic was stopped before the monument due to road construction. The flagger there informed me there were two miles of loose gravel ahead and that another biker had recently dropped his bike on it. Having had my fill of loose gravel in Alaska and the Yukon, it didn’t take long for me to decide to skip this part of the itinerary and head right to Monument Valley.
After traveling north on highways 41 and 162, I turned west on highway 163 towards Mexican Hat, Utah. Wow! What a feast for the eyes – oceans of red earth and dozens of impressive red, brown, and pink stratified buttes towering above the valley floor at heights of up to 1000 feet. The size and scope of the explosion of color took my breath away.
I stopped to get some pictures at “Forest Gump Point,” the spot in the movie where Tom Hanks (Forest) decides to stop running. The geometry of that location is stunning – the road reaches out into the horizon and is framed by beautiful buttes on both sides.
Rather than continue immediately to the rest of Monument Valley I decided to take a 100-mile detour to visit the Patio Diner in Blanding, Utah. I had been there two years before and knew they had delicious burgers made to order as well as homemade onion rings. I figured it would also give me an excuse to ride through the first part of the valley again.
After a delicious lunch, I headed west again on highway 163 and finished touring the remaining part of Monument Valley. I was so transfixed by the beauty that I drove slowly enough to be passed, a rare occurrence when I am on the bike. In addition to the gorgeous buttes, I was delighted to also see several dirt devils – swirling clouds of red earth lifting up into the sky. I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful country!
