Monument Valley

Today we visited Monument Valley near the Arizona Utah border. It is entirely contained on the Navajo Reservation. We were led by a Navajo guide Will and shown the spectacular monuments and numerous iconic film location sites. Will knows his way around an iPhone pano.

https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/culture/arts-entertainment/12-movies-shot-in-monument-valley-on-the-navajo-nation/.

Clare recreated an iconic Marlboro Man shot on horseback at John Ford's point. So we didn't get it exactly correct. I like it better. Tofu Woman > Marlboro Man.

We also visited native Navajo homes called hogans. They have a log skeleton and are covered in dried mud. The women's are round and the men's slightly elongated. Both have a fire in the middle and a door facing the east. When the sun enters the door in the morning it marks the month on the wall and the time of doing different things such as planting or hunting. We especially liked the rock formation called "Big Hogan" where Indiana Jones was filmed dropping into the snake pit.

As we left the Reservation and headed west we crossed the exact spot where Forrest Gump stopped running. Run Forrest Run!

Next we met up with Jenny and Shawn for a burger and beers at Ska Brewing. We also toured the spectacular Ohfield Lodge tucked into a mountainside up above beautiful Durango, CO. I could spend a day in the garage checking out bikes but the kids were in awe when Shawn fired up the speakers in the sound studio and sat them at the controls. Some say that dogs shouldn't hot tub but Iko, Uni and Banjo beg to differ. To cap off the day I finally met my Elder, Pliny the Elder! I've wanted to sample that Russian River masterpiece for quite some time and thanks to Jenny and Shawn I now have. It is not an easy beer to find on the East Coast. The Ohfield Lodge Tour is top notch and now that it is paired with a Pliny sampling you'd best book early! Thanks guys!!

Life is Grand

This is going to be more of a photo journal than a blog post. Clare, Patrick and I just did a 3 day backpacking trip off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at Grandview. We hiked and camped with a guide and a father and son from Oklahoma. It was an amazing experience. The Canyon is massive in scale. That point is driven home as you hike down into it. The hiking was strenuous but we had been forewarned. An email from Wildland Trekking Company 4weeks ago asked how our training was going. That caught my attention but still wasn't enough to move me to perform the suggested training of 2-3 hours of stair climbing with a loaded pack. In retrospect it would have been wise. On day one we hiked off the South Rim to Hance Creek, a five mile hike that lost 3,500' in elevation. When someone tells you it's all downhill don't necessarily think that it will be easy. We camped under some Cottonwood trees and were serenaded by a choir of frogs as we Cowboy camped under a clear star filled sky. The next morning we broke camp and hiked up to Horsehoe Mesa. We set up our camp in a juniper break and pondered the potential Gin production of the Mesa. The entire area of our hike also showed great potential for Tequila production as Agave plants were everywhere, many with their seed stalks probing skyward. We cooked dinner out on the western arm of the horseshoe and watched a beautiful sunset. We made our way back to camp under headlamps and then collapsed onto our sleeping pads. The wind picked up and sent us into our sleeping bags and we watched the constellations above as we fell asleep. Day three saw an early start as we climbed back up to the South Rim at 7,200'. We were in the Suburban by 11am and headed back to Flagstaff. I can already feel the soreness coming on but it was so worth it. We missed Abbey and Amy but we shall return no doubt.