Today was the last day we were to stay at the dry campground of Monument Valley. While we have enjoyed great sunrises and sunsets, we had yet to take a hike down the parks’ many trails. Like other Navajo owned and operated parks, most trails require you to pay a guide per hour and per person. The Wild Cat trail however is the exeption to the rule, here in Monument Valley. The trail head is right by our campsite, so we decided to get an early start on this 3.5 Mile loop around the Mittens….

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We have more on this crazy hike, and lots of great pictures…

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Chris is back on his sunrise kick — and there is no better place for it than Monument Valley. This place is famous for the amazing way the rocks change colors as the sun changes position. Both mornings we’ve been here other tourists have invaded our campsite at 5am to catch the sunrise view. I don’t think Chris has ever had to share his sunrise with so many people! Check out his hot pics!

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We’ve been in Monument Valley for about 36 hours now, and as amazing as it is, I have to admit there is something very eerie about this place. I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but something about Monument Valley creeps me out. Like the weather. It will be warm and sunny, and all of a sudden it will get super windy, huge dust storms will form, everything will start blowing over and then it will stop. Except at night, the wind is so bad, you can hear it inside and you feel like the moho could get knocked over. It’s insane.

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My day started before I even knew it. Chris was up and at ‘em super early and decided it was time for the gypsies to hit the road. The good news for me was that I got to skip the dump, as I was snug in bed through the whole process. The bad news was that I was awakened at 5am to bouncing, bumping and shaking. Remember when you were a little kid and the seats at the back of the school bus were the bumpiest? Well it’s true for RVs too.

I made my way to the front, but before I could start bitching at Chris for yet another inhumane wake up call, he told me to look outside. Unreal. Red rock formations, white cliffs and dark brown sand all changing shades as the sun rose to take its place in the sky.

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The Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a joint project of the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation to preserve Navajo land and culture. To further protect the Canyon and the Navajo people who live in it, individuals are not permitted to enter the Canyon without a certified Navajo guide via hike, jeep tour or horseback tour.

Chris and I looked into all three options, and no matter how you sliced it, it was going to cost a minimum of $200. We were hoping to do this leg on the cheap (free campground and all) so we decided against. Lucky for us, there is one place where everyone can enter the Canyon — free of charge.

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One of the best things about this trip is that it has given me the opportunity to see and do things I know I never would in any other context. Like right now — we are at the Canyon de Chelly in the Navajo Nation of northeastern Arizona. I can tell you, almost definitely, that in my former life I would not have dedicated any of my precious few vacation days to seeing this natural wonder. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of the Canyon de Chelly until a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to figure out what to between Tucson and the Grand Canyon.

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Yesterday afternoon, Chris and I arrived in the Navajo Reservation town of Chinle, home of the Canyon de Chelly. Our plan was to stay at the free NPS campground located at the Canyon’s visitor center. As the designated road trip planner, I was very skeptical at the prospect of a free NPS campground. I had visions of this place being a complete dump, or even worse, being super nice, but totally packed or too tight for our 35-foot rig. But since it was free, I was willing to try.

I am happy to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. This place looks like your typical national park campground (except it’s free!). The sites are pretty and spaced out, there are enough sites for big rigs and the bathrooms are fine. There are no showers, and we can’t build fires, but we can deal b/c it’s free.

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By now it’s no secret that Chris and I heart National Parks. Whenever it’s possible for us to check one out on our road trip, we will, without a doubt, make the effort. Especially to see one with a name as cool as Petrified Forest.

I was underwhelmed with the Petrified Forest. I guess I was expecting an actual forest, or at least tall clusters of petrified wooded areas that resembled a forest somewhat. All there are, are pieces of petrified wood — some little pieces and some large tree trunks sitting in the desert. It’s lame.

The Painted Desert, which surrounds PFNP, is cool, but there is no hands on access, meaning no hiking trails, etc. that allow you to get up close to the amazingly colored dunes. We started on one trail that promised to contain the park’s largest concentration of petrified wood, and it was paved. I mean, I am no hard-core hiker, but come on!

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