Monument Valley and the American Southwest in Winter

In all the years I’ve been traveling to Arizona, I’ve never made it to Monument Valley. We tried to get there a couple years ago, but the Navajo Nation was closed due to Covid-19. Last year, my wife’s brother was forced into retirement due to health issues, and we wanted to do something with him since he’s been home without much to do. So, my idea was to show him a little bit of the American southwest.

This month we flew to Albuquerque, rented a car and drove. Our first stop was Winslow, Arizona. My wife and her brother had recently attended an Eagles farewell concert – so I thought it would be appropriate to visit Winslow and stand on the corner there!

We also ate at one of our favorite places, the Turquoise Room inside La Posada – an historic hotel inside the train station at Winslow.

After leaving Winslow (and we had to detour to get to Winslow because I-40 was closed due to snow) we drove north. At Second Mesa, inside the Hopi Indian Reservation, we went north instead of driving to Tuba City and then to Kayenta – and that was a mistake. The road north from Second Mesa doesn’t last long and turns to dirt (mud in winter) and we had a difficult time driving on through – but we did finally reach Kayenta around dinner time. I learned that the shortest distance isn’t always the best/quickest route. I’ll know better next time.

Monument Valley is just a short 30 minute drive from Kayenta. It’s beautiful up there – and I would love to return again someday. Like other parts of northern Arizona, the canyons, mesas, and buttes are beautiful, and change continuously throughout the day as the sun moves through the sky (I know the sun isn’t actually moving – the earth is rotating which causes the allusion of the sun moving from east to west). Different times of year cause the angle of the sun to be different too, which makes the landscape look different. Very beautiful. Winter is especially interesting because of the potential for snow – something else to add some contrast to the red earth.

You can see how different it looks with and without snow. It’s fun to watch the lanscape change!

After we left Monument Valley, we spend a few days in Santa Fe. On the way, we stopped at Four Corners – the only spot in the US where four states touch. Fun to see since my wife’s brother is a surveyor and was very interested in how they surveyed and found the exact spot where all four states touched! From what he read it wasn’t easy.

Once in Santa Fe we spent some time at Taos Pueblo and at Bandelier National Monument. Both are very much worth seeing if you enjoy history at all, and they are easy daytrips from Santa Fe.

I have to admit, I love the American Southwest, and I enjoy showing others some of interesting things that exist there. I love history, traveling and spending time in Arizona and New Mexico especially. And I love the mix of cultures you will find there – with Native American, Mexican/Spanish and American all blended together and existing side-by-side. It’s very cool – and the food reflects some of that mix as well.

If you ever get a chance to visit America’s southwestern states, enjoy the culture and history, any time of year!