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Showing posts from August, 2013

Our 100 Day Trek through the US of A, part 16, Monument Valley

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This was not on the program initially. But to do a private sunset tour, on the largest Indian reservation in the U.S., with a Navajo guide was irresistible. Thus onto Kayenta, Arizona the nearest city to the Monument Valley tribal park, after an unsuccessful try to book the hotel on the park grounds. A local B&B near the grounds where one would sleep in an original Navajo Hogan amended with a real door and a queen bed instead of sleeping on the floor, was rejected by my spouse, who needs air conditioning (in 100+ degree temps) and ensuite facilities. Monument Valley is so so Red Winter picture of the Hogan B&B The classic entrance picture to the park So we booked the most, although not fact checked yet, expensive Hampton Inn in the country. Seems that way, or the fee and taxes to the Navajo Nation causes this, or that Hampton Inn lacks competition and behaves in a capitalistic free trade fashion. The fact that the gas prices here were much lower than outside the reserv

Our 100 Day Trek through the US of A, part 17, Moab

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I knew of Moab only as a Semitic tribe from which people with questionable morals, such as Lot and his daughters sprung. The people that named this town, founded on a canyon floor, had obviously the same type of thoughts, because the city historians reference heated discussions about the name, that actually stems from the Indian name "Moapa" or mosquito. We find ourselves here for three nights to visit two National Parks: the Arches and the Canyon Lands. May I say this, and I can hardly believe that I am going to write this down, but I think I have seen these parks before somewhere in my recent past. All alone: A last one Standing? This seemingly blasé attitude came to the fore in "staying in" behavior till mid afternoon before climbing in the car for a quick tour around one of them. Newspaper Rock The wheel was invented Actually not completely true. On our way into town we sojourned into a lesser visited southern entrance to Canyon Lands