25th day - 07/03/2022

It's cold this morning but no snow has fallen. The motel is really great, but the breakfast is forgettable. I get two toasts and a coffee. And after hearing German being spoken at a table, I eat them in my room. You don't have to join in everywhere. I've had enough of the chatter again. I call them overly interested. Anyway, I heard that from the conversation.

Not far from here is Natural Bridges, an area containing three large natural stone arches. Similar to Arches National Park, but much older in terms of geological history. I'm the only one in the park. A small loop takes me to all of these natural wonders and they are impressive. However, the wind is bitterly cold. There is still a lot of snow here on this plateau.

I drive a short distance back and then turn right onto 261. I wonder about the signs that warn not to drive this road with a large car. Or with an RV or a truck. Everything looks perfectly normal. Well, there are a few curves. But nothing you can't handle. How wrong I was.

After half an hour I arrive at Moki Dugway. And from here it's completely different. The road turns into a gravel path, a narrow gravel path, and it goes steeply downhill. The road winds its way down the almost vertical rock wall in numerous hairpin curves. The narrow road is sometimes only wide enough for one car. And there are no guardrails on the left and right, just a vertical drop. Even I feel a little dizzy. But the view is simply phenomenal. When I finally reach the bottom, I'm tempted to go back up. But you shouldn't push your luck.

From now on, I continue below, with these rocks that we know from numerous Western movies. The most famous ones are in Monument Valley, which is still half an hour away from here. Driving along here is an absolute privilege. Nature simply paints the most beautiful pictures. After 10 minutes I turn right into Goosenecks State Park. There, the San Juan River has carved into the rock and creates a colossal sight, similar to Horseshoe Bend in Page. The five dollar entrance fee is well worth it. A fantastic sight.

Afterwards, I drive back to 261 and then head towards Monument Valley. Before that, I come to the point where Forrest Gump ended his run across the United States. It is also called Forrest Gump Point on Google Maps. Surprisingly, it's not very crowded there. Only three cars are parked. An Indian extended family is also there. One of them kindly takes a picture of me, in return I take a picture of all of them. And the picture of the eight smiling Indians turns out really good. They are all very happy to be in the picture. As often happens, we say hello, say where we come from, and then say goodbye. What will never happen.

This time I drive past Monument Valley. I already drove the dirt road there four years ago. A unique experience. But I don't need to do it again. Especially since it takes a few hours. I'd rather stop a few more times along the way and capture these famous rocks. It's really nice to be back here. I can hardly believe it's been four years. At Monument Valley, you cross the border from Utah to Arizona. And I deliberately say goodbye to this great state.

The rocks are slowly fading away and another red land covered in bushes begins, with more snow again. My last stop for today are the elephant's feet, two rocks that really look like elephant's feet. It's annoying to see all the garbage lying around here. Even though this land is littered with trash bins, many idiots just throw their rubbish around. I think there is a particularly lacking awareness here.

To end the day, I treated myself to a somewhat expensive hotel in Tuba City. There's not much choice here either. The land and the hotel belong to the Navajos. And they don't want everything to be built up. That naturally results in higher prices, but quite honestly, that's perfectly fine. The room is extremely clean and acceptable for the price. And the best part is that I will have a really good breakfast at the hotel restaurant tomorrow. To celebrate the day. After all, you only turn 59 once.