The Good & The Bad
Oh my gods.
They call this place the Valley of the Gods and they’re not kidding. An hour from Monument Valley and maybe 50 miles or so from the four corners of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico – this is Utah – it is the most beautiful and spiritual place I’ve ever been. (Well, maybe neck and neck with seeing Lawrence of Arabia for the first time – Radio City Music Hall.)
The place itself is the good. In fact, it’s way better than good. It’s magnificent. (See video below.) The bad is the wind and dust. Everywhere I’ve been in Utah has been diminished by the wind. This sacred place was so windswept and dust-bedeviled while I was setting up and late into the night that I wanted to cry. This morning, so far, just a wisp here and there. Fingers crossed for more of that and less tornado.
I’ll get to the ugly in the next post.
This area is well-known among the nomad set so it’s remote but far from uninhabited. Quite a bit of traffic on this little dirt road. That’s OK. Plenty of time to be isolated and utterly alone in the world farther on. Incredibly and thankfully, there is (roaming) cell service here so while I’ll be light on video zoom calls, I’ll be eminently in communication.
On the ride here from Cedar City, UT where I’d been holed up in an OK RV park for the past 2 weeks, I traversed the Navajo Nation which in itself was kinda breathtaking. Thought a lot about how they had it all to themselves for thousands of mostly peaceful years devoted to the earth and to all living things. And how it was gruesomely torn away. Little left but isolation and profound poverty. And Covid. The best answer. at least short term, is mandated broadband in every corner of rural America beginning with all native reservations. I thought a lot a bout that as I drove through the mournful and stunning Navajo Nation.
Hopefully I’ll have enough work-quality cellular here to remain for all 6 days planned. Beginning May 1, if not sooner, a month in Colorado.
Drove through Mexican Hat on the way as well which is its own little gem of a place…
Gassing up across from Mexican Hat Lodge