NTOurs National Parks Tour October 8, 2012

October 8, 2012

We woke up in Mesa Verde National Park. The sunrise was amazing! We boarded the bus to go to breakfast at a restaurant in the park. A hot, made-to-order breakfast was the line-up. Starbucks coffee was the treat!

After breakfast, a tour guide for the park took on us a tour of Mesa Verde National Park sharing with us the life of the ancestral Puebloans and pointed out cliff dwellings that they called, "home". Our tour took us to various sites ending at the Spruce Tree House - the best preserved cliff dwelling.

After lunch we made our way to Kayenta. On our way the views were spectacular. Folks were taking photos at every turn. 

Our next stop was Monument Valley - a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1000 feet above the valley floor. It is located on the Arizona-Utah state line, near the Four Corners area. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation. This area has been seen in a number of western movies (i.e. "Stagecoach") but also "Forrest Gump" and "Back to the Future III". Arriving at Monument Valley - most of the group had selected a "jeep" excursion into Monument Valley. The "jeep" was a truck with a modified seating arrangement in the truck bed. The dirt road was bumpy and when the wind was blowing it would stir up red clay leaving some of us with a red tint in our hair when we returned. The views of the trip were wonderful! Worth a little dirt!!

After Monument Valley, we drove to Kayenta, Arizona for the evening. After arriving at the hotel, folks had dinner at the hotel restaurant (chicken pot pie, baby back ribs, tacos, etc) Off to bed! Late start tomorrow was we make our way to the Grand Canyon - bags out at 8 a.m. and depart at 9 a.m.!!