On the way to Monument Valley (USA West Road Trip Part 5)

There was an orchard in the park where you could pick your own apples, so we immediately stocked up on some fruit.

With our strength renewed, we continued our drive to the Natural Bridges National Monument, where we could admire stone bridges formed by erosion.

Water had carved its way here and formed this bridge over a long time. We also walked down to one of the bridges and walked through a dried-up river bed to get a closer look at it.

In the evening, after a 10-hour drive (557 km) and hike, we arrived at our hotel.

In the morning, however, we set off again because one of the highlights of our trip was waiting for us: Monument Valley, which we had seen so often in movies, we now wanted to explore.

This valley is not owned by the government, but belongs to the Navajo tribe. That's why you can't drive to all areas with your own car, but you can book tours where you are driven through Monument Valley and also get explanations from the guide.

At first, we were a bit shocked by the price, but then we decided that we didn't want to miss out on this attraction. So we booked a tour with a driver who explained rock formations and their meanings along the way.

The ride was quite bumpy, but our driver didn't let that stop him from sending text messages on the side...

We really enjoyed the tour and were glad in the end that we made the decision to do it.

On the way to Moab, we passed a rock formation that looked like a sombrero: the Mexican Hat: