appaloosa's photos with the keyword: Utah

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. At Twin Rocks Trading Post Bluff, UT We stop here for a quick bite to eat, and admire the unique landscape. It has taken mother nature countless centuries of wind, weather and time to carve these unique sandstone rock formations.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. Off the beaten path of our drive from Monument Valley, AZ to Mesa Verde... We stop in Bluff for a quick bite to eat, and admire the unique landscape. It has taken mother nature countless centuries of wind, weather and time, to carve these unique sandstone rock formations.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. Navajo roadside kiosk, somewhere along mile marker 13 (Utah), US HWY 163. There are many small roadside kiosks like this scattered throughout the Navajo Nation reservation. You can buy beautiful handmade jewellery made with local gems and minerals (turquoise, silver, spiny oyster, agate, onyx, coral, etc). Sometimes there may be blankets and rugs, and horsehair pottery . And if you're lucky, you may encounter a professional Navajo artist along the way.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. Navajo roadside kiosk, somewhere along mile marker 13 (Utah), US HWY 163. Our guide/driver had stopped to chat and perhaps trade with some of the Navajo that have several small roadside kiosks scattered here and there in the Navajo Nation reservation. On a previous trip we had taken together, I had sent Lloyd (our guide/driver) a CD of all the photos I had taken. He had several processed into poster prints, and brought them along with him on this trip. I was flattered to think he thought my photos worthy enough to be made into prints, but less so when he took it upon himself to disappear at odd times to try and sell, hawk, or trade these photos of mine for whatever he could get for them. Idiosyncrasies aside, we felt very fortunate to have Lloyd Taylor as our guide/driver. He was a wonderful raconteur, storyteller, historian, excellent travel companion; all 'round good guy and gentleman - despite a few odd quirks now and then. We do miss him, and think of him often.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. Navajo roadside kiosk, somewhere along mile marker 13 (Utah), US HWY 163. Our guide/driver had stopped to chat and perhaps trade with some of the Navajo that have several small roadside kiosks scattered here and there in the Navajo Nation reservation. This wonderful lady, with her granddaughter, had singled out the photo in hand (see note) because, she said, her granddaughter liked horses. I can't remember if we traded it for anything, or if we simply ended up just giving her the print. On a previous trip we had taken together, I had sent Lloyd (our guide/driver) a CD of all the photos I had taken. He had several processed into poster prints, and brought them along with him on this trip. I was flattered to think he thought my photos worthy enough to be made into prints, but less so when he took it upon himself to disappear at odd times to try and sell, hawk, or trade these photos of mine for whatever he could get for them. Idiosyncrasies aside, we felt very fortunate to have Lloyd Taylor as our guide/driver. He was a wonderful raconteur, storyteller, historian, excellent travel companion; all 'round good guy and gentleman - despite a few odd quirks now and then. We do miss him, and think of him often.

Near mile marker 13 (Utah), along US HWY 163. There's a reason why I took a photo of this little shrub - but I can't remember why. I wish I knew what it was. I tried to find it in guidebooks and online search, but can't seem to pinpoint what kind of shrub this is. Could it be rabbitbrush? I seem to remember our guide mentioning something about how this plant contains a lot of moisture in the foliage, which - considering how dry the desert is - would be an important food source for the small animals and feral horses that roam the valley. Leaving Monument Valley, AZ; we often stop and get out to stretch our legs, admire the view, perhaps browse at some roadside kiosks selling Navajo jewellery and other knickknacks. Occasionally we take some photos of the surrounding flora and fauna like this low-lying shrub here. DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado.

DAY 6 TUES 2 OCT 2012 Drive: from Monument Valley, AZ to Cortez, Colorado. Looking back towards Monument Valley.

Be still and the earth will speak to you. ~Navajo Proverb We gaze into the sandstone amphitheature one last time, and say goodbye, before heading to Monument Valley. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah DAY 5 MON 1 OCT 2012

DAY 5 MON 1 OCT 2012 Drive: from Bryce Canyon, Utah to Monument Valley, AZ We passed this restaurant twice en route, which sits at the crossroads between Zion and Bryce (Hwy 89 and Route 9) - making it a convenient rest step for travellers to and from these areas. While we didn't know it at the time, the Thunderbird restaurant is actually part of the Best Western chain. The Thunderbird restaurant (& hotel's namesake) - looking to capitalize on the tourist trade - probably took their name from the nearby home and historic site of famous southwest artist Maynard Dixon (1875 - 1946), who adopted the thunderbird as his signature logo. We did stop to eat here, and while we thought the food was OK, tripadvisor offers mixed reviews.

We gaze into the sandstone amphitheature one last time to stop and reflect, before heading to Monument Valley. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah DAY 5 MON 1 OCT 2012

In harmony may I walk. With harmony ahead me, may I walk. With harmony behind me, may I walk. With harmony above me, may I walk. With harmony underneath my feet, may I walk. With harmony all around me, may I walk. It is done in harmony. ~Navajo Our guide and driver, Lloyd Taylor (Flagstaff).

Be still and the earth will speak to you. ~Navajo Proverb These sandstone sentinels stand as ancient monuments to the ghosts of the past. The Pueblo-Anasazi, and then the Paiute gathered, hunted and foraged through here. Paiute legend say the trickster mąʼii (coyote) turned the evil spirits of the legend people into these stone sentinels, and called them Anka-ku-was-a-wits (red painted faces). Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah DAY 5 MON 1 OCT 2012

DAY 4 SUN 30 SEPT 2012 It's even more impressive when you're standing there..

DAY 5 MON 1 OCT 2012 The Pueblo Anasazi, and then the Paiute gathered, hunted and foraged through here. Paiute legend say the trickster mąʼii (coyote) turned the evil spirits of the legend people into these stone sentinels, and called them Anka-ku-was-a-wits (red painted faces).