It was a lazy start since the room was a delight and quiet! My first stop did not open until 9am so I did not want to leave before 8am. The drive was scenic and way off the beaten path.
The best advice I read was follow the signs not the GPS. At some point I sort of wondered if I was on the right road but figured as long as the road was paved and followed the signs that was a good sign. My first stop was Hovenweep National Historic Site.
It was touching to see the flag on this Memorial Day . . . of course there is a lot on my mind but honestly I think about Sean all the time not just Memorial Day. I was looking forward to getting out. I got an early start but it was already getting very hot outside. What I did not know was I could have hiked the trails at sunrise even though the official opening time was 9am; oh well! I took the Square Tower Group Trail hike and it was good.
As you can see there is no shade and it was already blazing hot! I really liked seeing the Hovenweep Castle . . .
I was so glad that I got an early start because by the time I was finished I was out of water and very hot! I stopped in the Visitor's Center to watch the movie and cool off before I got back on the road. Since there were only a few small towns on my route, I had planned for a lunch stop at Twin Rocks Cafe. It did not disappoint! I mean anything with fry bread is delicious.
Made a roadside stop at Sand Island Petroglyphs Panel . . .
And this is where I had to make a decision. Again, I could not check in to my hotel until 3pm and it was only noon. As I was driving I saw a sign for Canyon de Chelly National Monument. I have tried to visit here several times but it was just too far out of the way. So I pulled over and did a map check . . . it was 96 miles south of my hotel for the night. I was not sure it would be worth it but decided why not? So I drove there and made it about a hour before I thought it closed. The only thing that closed was the Visitor's Center parking lot so I grabbed a map and made a plan. There are two main loops and I picked one trail on each loop. First up was the North Rim Drive for Antelope House Overlook.
Then on to South Rim Drive for Spider Rock Overlook.
Since it was late in the day, there was no traffic. One thing that I have noticed with all the driving is that Utah is open range for livestock. There are signs posted everywhere warning to be aware of livestock and some highways have cattle guards that you pass over going fast. As I was cruising back to my starting point to return a horse slowly galloped into the road . . . this is exactly why the speed limit is 30! Thankfully I was able to slam on my breaks as he slowly made his way across the road with no cares in the world. My heart was beating so fast and I was thankful no one was behind me and that I was paying attention! It was back on the road 96 miles north to The View Hotel for the night in Monument Valley. Not a bad view if I may say so . . .
. . . tomorrow I explore, because today I am tired!
Driving Map Day 2
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