A Monumental Day
Our last day on the river was a busy one. We were up before 7:00; made coffee, ate breakfast, washed dishes, struck camp, loaded our boats, and were on the river shortly after 10:00; arrived 6.6 miles down river at the BLM boat ramp at Mexican Hat less than ninety minutes later; and had loaded all of our boats on the trailers and gear into our vehicles in time to order lunch by 1:30 at The Olde Bridge Grille in town. After a relaxing meal, the other five members of our merry band of paddlers headed south and east for home.
But the day for Kathy and me had just begun. After checking into our room at the San Juan Inn and transferring items from our ice chests to the tiny refrigerator in the room, our first order of business after five river days was, of course, a warm shower and clean clothes. After a brief rest, it was off to Goosenecks State Park, a short drive north from Mexican Hat. We arrived around 5:00. After about thirty minutes of viewing the impressive entrenched meanders of the San Juan River (see photo in prior blog post), we headed back south through Mexican Hat and on to Monument Valley Tribal Park.
But the day for Kathy and me had just begun. After checking into our room at the San Juan Inn and transferring items from our ice chests to the tiny refrigerator in the room, our first order of business after five river days was, of course, a warm shower and clean clothes. After a brief rest, it was off to Goosenecks State Park, a short drive north from Mexican Hat. We arrived around 5:00. After about thirty minutes of viewing the impressive entrenched meanders of the San Juan River (see photo in prior blog post), we headed back south through Mexican Hat and on to Monument Valley Tribal Park.
After several stops for photos, we arrived at The View Hotel in Monument Valley before 6:30, just in time to catch the setting sun illuminating the iconic rock formations overlooked by the hotel.
And we were in time to catch dinner at the hotel restaurant and watch as the sun set and the day merged into twilight.
It was all quite magical.
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