We got up early this morning and I took a walk up the hill behind camp to the Rim Trail Aid Station from yesterday’s race. There were still 15 runners still in the competition, trying to complete their 100 miles. They started at 06:00 Saturday and this was 07:00 SUNDAY. I really just wanted to see what kind of shape they were in as the temperatures dropped below freezing last night with very high winds. I was immediately recognized by a crew member, Ben Gunn, from Salt Lake City who was working at the station yesterday. He called me “Icicle Man”. Ben was the man who took my picture with the frozen hat the day before. We talked for a while about running and he agreed that it takes a special breed of runner to try the 100 mile Ultra. I saw one lady who had to be carried to a vehicle, she could not walk, was cramped up so much she could not stand, and was within a mile of the finish line. Damn, just damn.
On the road, we stopped at the Navajo National Monument. After traveling nine miles down a narrow road, we came to the entrance and found that the road into the monument was completely covered in ice. There was nowhere to back out, so we disconnected the truck and I made a 12+ point turn in the road, parked in a wide spot about a mile back and we took the truck in. This is the view as we began the hike to the monument.
The trail was covered in snow and icy but we made the mile hike to the viewing area.
On the way down, I took this shot through the trees.
These shots were taken from across the canyon, a distance of about 500 yards. This pueblo is known at the Betatakin dwellings and was occupied from 1250 until 1300. At its height, 100-125 people lived here in clan or family groups. Originally there were about 135 rooms, some were destroyed by rockfalls. Betatakin is Navajo for “ledge house”.
By the time we left this site, most of the road ice had melted away but the temperature was still hovering at 27 degrees.
We are “camping” tonight near Monument Valley, on the Utah / Arizona border. These are two views from our campsite. In the second view, you can see some of Monument Valley between the trees.
Before going into the Navajo Tribal park, we stopped at a restaurant in Gouldings Lodge, just outside the Tribal Park, so Cathy could get her Navajo taco. It was huge but she said it was very good. I had a chili type soup which was also very good. We had to see the Juan Wayne house, where “A Yellow Ribbon”? was filmed. okay . . .
We got to the park in the late afternoon and took several photos of the landscape. Monument Valley is absolutely breathtaking. Especially if the sand is not blowing (which it does mostly in the summer). I met an NFL photographer from Minnesota at the ledge, setting up his camera(s). We had visited a lot of the same places.
Some of the photos as the sun began to set.
If we come back here, it will be to run in one of the many Navajo organized running events, mostly Ultras, run on the valley floor in and around the rock towers.
Travelling with the Schinglers 