Sunday, August 26, 2012

Western Trip: Monument Valley, Valley Of The Gods,Moki Dugway.. A Photo Journey

 

Map picture

The Push Pin shows the Moki Dugway. The Moki Dugway is a graded dirt switchback road that is carved into the face of the cliff edge of Cedar Mesa.The road was originally built to accommodate the uranium ore trucks in the 1950s.

DSC_0225 A view of the Garmin inside the car…

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The highway is part of the Utah section of the Trail of the Ancients

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A 1000 feet elevation change in 3 miles

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Cedar Mesa occupies 475,000 acres of high plateau country in Utah's San Juan County. Exploring Cedar Mesa Is Almost Like Standing On The Edge Of The World.

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The above photo is looking down from the top of Cedar Mesa into the Valley Of The Gods. The building is

DSC_0296where we stayed the night.More info in a later post

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This photo shows some of the underpinning of the road.

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Most of this post has been about the Moki Dugway. I will finish with some photos of The Valley Of The Gods and Monument Valley.

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Goulding’s is a must stop

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After passing the eroded mesas of Monument Valley, highway US 163 crosses 20 miles of rather flat landscape past scattered Navajo houses to Mexican Hat, a small settlement named after a curious formation nearby consisting of a large flat rock 60 feet in diameter perched precariously on a much smaller base at the top of a small hill. (We had a good lunch in Mexican Hat)

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mexicanhat Thanks for stopping by.. I’m thinking I may try to revisit this area.. I would like to do a little more exploring.

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12 comments:

  1. Unknown3:10 PM

    Great shots Joe! Your compositions are perfect. Love the one with the road twisting down the mountain. Nice!

    Cheers!
    Julie
    Julie Magers Soulen Photography

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  2. TONY LETTS6:51 PM

    You can't say the Garmin didn't warn you. I think you're round the bend :)

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  3. Lona9:49 AM

    What a great trip Joe. I love seeing those rock formations from the old westerns. I am not sure about that road though. LOL!

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  4. Linda Kittmer8:21 PM

    Incredible scenery and video!

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  5. betty-NZ9:50 PM

    What a LOT of photos. I think I could appreciate them more if they were posted over a few separate posts. The scenery is amazing! I never made it to that part of the country. Thanks for posting.

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  6. Sylvia K9:56 PM

    Incredible captures, Joe, of an awesome trip!! So much beauty! Thanks so much for sharing the beauty with us today! I do love the rock formations and the many different moods of the skies! Enjoy your week!

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  7. Fun607:53 AM

    Such wide open spaces. Hard for me to imagine the scale of it all. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. EG CameraGirl3:07 PM

    The soil and rocks are such an amazing colour. I had forgotten how beautiful!

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  9. Sallie (FullTime-Life)8:48 PM

    Isn't it the most wonderful area in the world? We really enjoyed our visit to MV this summer.

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  10. Gaelyn10:24 PM

    Now that's my kind of a road trip. Maybe this fall.

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  11. Jan n Jer8:32 AM

    looks like you had an awesome trip...great pics

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  12. larkswing2:52 PM

    Wow! Very nice trip and pictures!

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