All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
Before leaving the Grand Canyon on Monday morning I took a helicopter tour with Maverick Helicopters.
My Canyon Spirit tour departed from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Upon reaching the edge of the canyon, the South Rim gently drops away
as the North Rim and eastern end of the canyon come into view.
The journey continued as we followed the Colorado River to where it merges with the Little Colorado River.
We viewed Marble Canyon and Point Imperial as we flew through the canyon and climbed above the North Rim.
We experienced fabulous bird's-eye views once on the North Rim, and then head south
through the Dragon Corridor, the widest and deepest part of the canyon.
As we crossed over the Colorado River, we flew over the South Rim
and the Kaibab National Forest landing back at the Grand Canyon Airport.
I would drive a total of 185 miles today.
After the helicopter tour it was a 180 mile drive across the Arizona desert to Monument Valley.
I passed Agathia Peak about 15 miles south of the Navajo Nation tribal park.
Monument Valley is a Navajo Nation tribal park, straddling the border of northeastern Arizona and
southeastern Utah of the Colorado Plateau. It preserves the Navajo way of life and some of the most
striking and recognizable landscapes of sandstone buttes, mesas and spires in the entire Southwest.
The area is entirely within the Navajo Indian Reservation near the small Indian town of Goulding.
The view from the visitor center is quite spectacular,
but most of the park can only be seen from the 17-mile dirt road.
The scenic drive goes southeast among the cliffs and mesas.
The road can be very rough at times but is worth the effort.
Monument Valley became world famous when it was featured in many western film classics,
including John Ford's Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Cheyenne Autumn.
The Navajo Nation established the tribal park that includes dramatic buttes, mesas and monoliths.
The View Hotel, where I stayed, is a Navajo owned business located within the Navajo Nation
and the Navajo Tribal park at Monument Valley. It opened in December 2008 and features carefully
designed accommodations that serve the needs of visitors from around the world while blending
with the environment so as not to detract from the beauty of Monument Valley.
Each room has a private eastern facing balcony with views unlike anywhere else in world.
I ended my day by watching the sunset from the hotel.
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Hello, This morning I finished things up at the Grand Canyon with a helicopter tour. It was a spectacular tour. In the picture below we are flying over Imperial Point on the North Rim. Next I drove 185 miles to Monument Valley. 15 miles south of Monument Valley I passed Agathia Peak which is pictured below. Monument Valley is on the Arizona/Utah border. I checked into my hotel in the Navajo Nation tribal park. Below are the Mittens and Merrick Butte. This is the amazing view from the balcony of my hotel room. After getting settled at the hotel I drove the scenic 17-mile drive. The monuments in the park have descriptive names. They are based on ones imagination. These names were created by the early settlers of Monument Valley. Others names portray a certain meaning to the Navajo people. The park consists of mesas, buttes and spire rock structures. Then after my drive I watched the sun set from the grounds at the hotel. It was another fantastic day. Tim |
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