Monument Valley: Movie Set and Natural Phenomenon

What do the movies Stagecoach, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Back to the Future III, and Forrest Gump have in common?  They all have scenes filmed in Utah’s Monument Valley.  If you haven’t been to Monument Valley, it’s possible you haven’t even noticed how often this famous Utah landscape is featured in movies and commercials.  But once you’ve seen these red buttes and spires jutting up from an otherwise flat landscape in person, you’ll understand why Monument Valley became a favorite of John Ford for shooting westerns, catapulting it into the famous landmark it is today. 

We visited Monument Valley during a road trip through Arizona.  While we spent just under 24 hours in Utah, Monument Valley’s close proximity to the Arizona border provided too much of a travel temptation to pass up.

Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park.  The monuments are natural sculptures created by erosion.  I’m not a geologist and I’m not going to even try to explain how these formations were created millions of years ago, but the short story is they are made of orange-red sandstone which has been eroded by water, wind, and ice over time.

Visitors to Monument Valley can use their own vehicles and drive the 17-mile unpaved valley drive.  The valley drive passes West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, Merrick Butte, Elephant Butte, Three Sisters, Camel Butte, Rain God Mesa, Thunderbird Mesa, Spearhead Mesa, and City Butte.  The names come from what the formations look like.  Some are pretty literal, like the mitten buttes, but some are a little more imaginative, like Three Sisters which is supposed to look like a Catholic nun facing her two pupils.  Kind of like staring at clouds as a kid looking for animal shapes. 

Guided tours will take visitors even farther into the valley, past Thunderbird Mesa.  Additional monuments seen on the guided tour are Sleeping Dragon, Suns Eye, The Submarine Rock, Ear of the Wind, Yei Bi Chei, and Totem Pole.

We spent a little over two hours driving the self-guided valley road through Monument Valley, but we could have taken even longer.  The formations and their bright color are fascinating and it seems there is always a better angle or a better viewpoint from which to take a picture. 

Beware because the wind can really pick up while driving around the valley, causing orange dust clouds.  When this happens it’s easy to see how the wind could help these towers of rock gain their form.

Another view you must see if possible is that of the sun rising over Monument Valley.  There are two hotels that offer this view.  The first is the View Hotel, the only hotel within the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.  All guestrooms have private balconies so guests can enjoy the sunrise and a view of the valley. 

The other option is nearby Goulding’s Lodge, where we chose to stay and which also offers private balconied rooms with views of the monuments and sunrise.  The best thing about the sunrise view is you can watch it in your pajamas then fall back into bed for some more shuteye. 

The main reason we chose Goulding’s Lodge is its pet friendly policy.  But a close second was because Goulding’s Lodge is all about Hollywood kitsch.  On site is the Goulding’s Trading Post Museum, which showcases not only Hollywood history, where you get a reminder of just how many movies Monument Valley has played a starring role, but also trading and tourism history.  The “Movie Room,” now filled with movie memorabilia, was originally built to serve as a mess hall for The Harvey Girls’ crew.  “John Wayne’s Cabin” or “Captain Nathan Brittles’ Cabin” was originally used in filming She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. 

After driving through Monument Valley and watching the sun rise over the monuments, there’s still one more view and one more picture movie lovers need to find.  Remember when Forrest Gump was running back and forth across the country?  Remember when he decided he was tired and ready to go home?  This famous scene occurred at mile marker 13 of US Highway 163 heading northeast from Monument Valley.  It takes a little while to get there, and Rome kept thinking I was crazy, but I promise once you get there you will see it, and if you are anything like me, you will be giddy.  Sometimes you’ve just got to be dumb while traveling.

For the perfect mix of stunning nature, Hollywood, and history, head on over to Utah’s Monument Valley.

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Driving the Scenic Apache Trail

Part of the Apache Trail dirt road follows along the edge of the Salt River.

There are many scenic drives in the USA and one of the great American scenic drives is Arizona’s Apache Trail.  In addition to the natural beauty of this desert trail, travelers will be able to visit some great sites including Goldfield Ghost Town, Tortilla Flat, Roosevelt Dam, and Tonto National Monument.

The Apache Trail is easily reached from Phoenix, Arizona and runs as Highway 88 for approximately 80 miles from Apache Junction, past Apache Lake and Theodore Roosevelt Lake, to the Highway 60-70 junction.  Most travelers turn the drive into a loop, returning to Phoenix via Highway 60.

“The Apache Trail combines the grandeur of the Alps, the glory of the Rockies, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon and then adds an indefinable something that none of the others have, to me, it is most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Native Americans used the Apache Trail as a migratory route.  Later the road was used to haul construction materials from Phoenix to the Roosevelt Dam.  Construction of the road was started in 1903 and the Tonto Wagon Road was completed in 1905.  After the Roosevelt Dam was completed in 1911, the Apache Trail became a tourist attraction.  The Apache Trail will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015.

Blooming saguaro cactus along the Apache Trail.

We left Phoenix, heading east, passing saguaro cactus, driving along the Superstition Mountains, to reach our first stop along the Apache Trail, Goldfield Ghost Town.  While Goldfield Ghost Town is by all definitions a tourist attraction, it used to be a real town.  Goldfield became a town in 1892 when they hit gold.  In addition to Mammoth Gold Mine, Goldfield had three saloons, a general store, a boarding house, a blacksmith shop, a brewery, a meat market, and a school house. 

Goldfield Ghost Town's Mammoth Saloon.

Today Goldfield Ghost Town has a number of attractions for visitors.  We started our time riding the Superstition Narrow Gauge Railroad, a 20-minute journey along a mile-and-a-half of track circling Goldfield Ghost Town.  Our train conductor Whiplash provided us with the history of Goldfield and the Superstition Mountains while we rode the rails.

Henry and Charlie waiting for the train.

Next we took a tour of Goldfield Mine.  The Goldfield Mine Tour takes visitors underground in a mineshaft where gold mining equipment and procedures are explained.  A combined ticket to the train, Goldfield Mine, and Mystery Shack can be purchased, so after our tour of the Goldfield Mine we entered the Mystery Shack.  While the Mystery Shack is really more for kids, we still had a lot of fun trying to walk at a 45-degree angle and watch objects seemingly roll uphill.

Learning what it was like for the gold miners.

The Mystery Shack, because why not?

All of the experiences we had in Goldfield Ghost Town were dog friendly.  There are a number of other things to do in Goldfield Ghost Town including the Superstition Zipline, Goldfield’s Historic Museum, Goldfield Livery Stables, Lu Lu’s Bordello at Goldfield, and Gold Panning at Prospector’s Palace.

Goldfield Ghost Town Bordello.

After Goldfield Ghost Town we stopped at Tortilla Flat for lunch.  Tortilla Flat is the remains of an old stagecoach stop.  Superstition Saloon and Restaurant has barstools made of saddles, wallpaper made of customers’ dollar bills, and serves some great chili and burgers.  Be sure to stop in next door at the Country Store for their famous prickly pear ice cream.

The dollar bill wallpapered Superstition Saloon and Restaurant.

About five miles past Tortilla Flat is where the Apache Trail gets a little hairy.  The road turns from paved into dirt, narrows, and becomes windy.  Living in Southern California we have a lot of experience with windy roads running along steep mountains, but we could see how this road might be scary for travelers coming from places with flat roads and few hills or mountains.  But if you’re a brave driver and have a car made for the trip, this scenic drive offers some beautiful desert and river vistas. 

The Apache Trail turns into a dirt road winding through the Arizona desert.

The Apache Trail follows along a branch of Salt River continuing on to where it connects to Theodore Roosevelt Lake, separated by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam.  The Roosevelt Dam was at one time the world’s tallest masonry dam and was built to control the flow of the Salt River and allow for irrigation of the Arizona desert so the land could be farmed.  Just behind the Roosevelt Dam is the Roosevelt Lake Bridge, the longest two-lane, single-span, steel-arch bridge in North America.  The bridge was built to take traffic off the Roosevelt Dam, which is too narrow to allow two-way traffic of modern-day vehicles.

Theodore Roosevelt Dam.

Not far past the Roosevelt Dam is Tonto National Monument, the site of Salado cliff dwellings.  There are two sets of cliff dwellings, the Upper Cliff Dwelling built around 1300 AD and the Lower Cliff Dwelling.  Reaching the Lower Cliff Dwelling involves a half-mile hike uphill from the museum.  Dogs are allowed on the trail and can be carried through the dwelling, but are not allowed to walk through the dwelling.  The Upper Cliff Dwelling is reached by a three-mile roundtrip hike and requires a reservation.  Be cautious.  We ran into a baby rattlesnake on the trail.

The Lower Cliff Dwelling of Tonto National Monument.

The Apache Trail scenic drive will take all day.  We started around 9:00 in the morning and arrived at Tonto National Monument in just enough time to visit the Lower Cliff Dwelling before the park closed.  The Apache Trail is one of America’s great desert scenic drives providing little peeks into America’s Native American, gold mining, and stagecoach history.

Apache Trail Map

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Tikal Guatemala: A Long Time Ago, in a Mayan Civilization Far, Far Away

Tikal Temple I, the Temple of the Great Jaguar.

One of the most memorable travel experiences we’ve had while traveling was visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.  We traveled to Tikal on a day tour from Belize and had already visited some of Belize’s Mayan ruins.  But even with a preview of the Mayan ruins of Belize, nothing prepared us for the magnificent grandeur of Guatemala’s Tikal.  Not even the fact that we’d seen the view of Tikal pyramids towering over jungle trees a million times before in Star Wars.  (Tikal is featured in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.) 

Traffic jam on the way to Tikal.

Tikal National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northern Guatemala in the Petén region (called a department in Guatemala), just over 50 miles northwest of the Guatemala/Belize border.  Driving through Guatemala to Tikal is an adventure in itself.  We drove for over an hour on bumpy roads, many of which were dirt roads.  Because of the bad condition of the roads drivers did not strictly adhere to the rules of the road, but rather drove on whatever side didn’t have potholes.  It was rather unnerving to look ahead and see trucks coming towards us on our side of the road.  We even got stuck for a short time in a traffic jam of a herd of cows being herded by a Guatemalan cowboy.

Driving in lanes is overrated.

Along the drive into Tikal National Park are reminders that you’re in a rainforest with wild animals.  We started passing signs picturing the animals we might see.  At first they were signs for small animals like turkeys and coatimundi, but then came the sign for jaguars, not an animal I wanted to encounter.

Coatimundi

Ocellated Turkey

Tikal is the largest excavated Mayan site in the Americas, with approximately 10 square miles excavated, and the park covers over 200 square miles.  Tikal was first excavated by the University of Pennsylvania starting in 1956.  Excavation and restoration continues through today, overseen by the Instituto de Antropología e Historia.  While many of the ancient Mayan structures have been uncovered, countless more remain untouched, covered by over a thousand years of jungle.

Our guide Antonio started our tour through various groups of Mayan ruins including the Acropolis Central, a grouping of small temples and residences.  At this point the ruins were similar to what we had seen before in Belize.  But then we started walking along the outside of one of the buildings and turned the corner.  Antonio was watching us, waiting for our reaction.  What we saw was truly awe inspiring.  Before us was the Great Plaza (Gran Plaza), one of the most commonly pictured views of Tikal. 

Our first view of Tikal's Great Plaza.

There are three major buildings that make up the Great Plaza.  To the east is Tikal Temple I (Templo I), the Temple of the Great Jaguar, which was built for the king and completed by his son.  To the west is Tikal Temple II (Templo II), which was built by the king in honor of his wife.  Temple I can no longer be climbed by visitors as people have fallen, but Temple 2 can be climbed. 

Tikal Temple II.

To the north of the Great Plaza is the Acropolis del Norte.  The North Acropolis is a larger area with a number of temples on a platform.  There are stone masks built into the walls.  Antonio explained the Mayans built everything like an onion.  Each subsequent ruler would build on top of what the previous ruler had built, but would never destroy what had come before.

An uncovered stone mask built into the wall of Tikal's Acropolis del Norte.

Tikal Temple V.

We left the Great Plaza and made our way through more ancient Mayan ruins to Tikal Temple V (Templo V), which we climbed using some very steep wooden stairs.  The stairs are not for the faint of heart and are so steep it’s better to climb down them like a ladder.  If you’re afraid of heights, you may want to avoid climbing this temple.  Romeo climbed with me, took one look at the view, and immediately turned around and climbed down.  

I stayed up top longer for the view, but was petrified the entire time.  Not only are you incredibly high, but the temple is so steep one false move and there is no way you could keep from tumbling all the way to the ground below.  Temple V does provide a great view of the other pyramids of Tikal, and yet these aren’t the views you’re looking for.

We continued on to Tikal Temple IV (Templo IV), the tallest building in Tikal at 212 feet and which was completed in 741 AD.  This is where you see the view from Star Wars, with Temple I, Temple II, and Temple V peeking out from above the rainforest tree line. Thankfully the temple with the best view is not the scariest.

The Star Wars view from the top of Tikal Temple IV.

Independent travelers can get to Tikal from Belize via chicken bus or rental car, but it is so much easier to arrange a tour and guide.  We booked a tour from Belize to Tikal with MayaWalk Tours.  MayaWalk Tours books small groups tours, but we ended up being all by ourselves with a private guide and private driver. 

Antonio was a great guide and we learned so much more about what we were seeing with him to guide us.  We were especially impressed with Antonio because he carried around a huge book full of Mayan history, using it to show us information about the Mayan calendar and explain Tikal history.  We were actually impressed with all our guides from MayaWalk (we also booked our Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) tour in Belize with them) because they did not exaggerate and sensationalize their stories of the Mayans. 

Acropolis del Norte in Tikal's Great Plaza.

If joining a Tikal tour from Belize, bring your passport, as you will be crossing an international border, camera, water, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, and hiking boots.  Before entering Tikal National Park our guide Antonio took us to a little restaurant outside the park for a typical Guatemalan lunch of chicken, rice, vegetables, and tortillas. 

Whether you are traveling to Belize or Guatemala, be sure to set aside a day to visit the spectacular Mayan ruins of Tikal.  Make it to Tikal, you must.  You, impressed by the sight of these giant pyramids built by an ancient Mayan civilization so long ago, will be.

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A Coastal Vacation: Things to do on the Oregon Coast

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint.

The Oregon coast is over 300 miles of sandy beaches and is dotted with coastal towns.  Visitors to the Oregon coast aren’t there to get a tan and swim in the ocean, as it is often rainy and foggy and the ocean water is frigid.  Rather, Oregon coast vacationers are there to see rugged coastline, historic lighthouses, and quaint seaside towns.  We spent three days slowly making our way down Oregon’s coast after leaving Astoria, spending the night at towns along the way, so we could experience the Oregon coasts attractions.

OREGON COAST ATTRACTIONS

Cannon Beach

Haystack Rock, home to nesting seabirds and marine life.

Cannon Beach is a popular Oregon coast vacation town with a village atmosphere.  A very popular Oregon coast attraction is found in Cannon Beach.  Haystack Rock is the most photographed rock along the Oregon coast.  Haystack Rock is 235 feet high and is the home of nesting seabirds on the rock and marine life at its base.  Visitors are attracted by the chance to explore Haystack Rock’s tide pools for sea life including fish, crustaceans, sea anemones, and starfish.  Be sure to visit at low tide, though we learned not all low tides are equal.  We missed the chance to see starfish because our low tide was not low enough.  

Tillamook Rock Light across the waves at Cannon Beach.

Another spectacular view from Cannon Beach is that of the decommissioned Tillamook Rock Light lighthouse.

Three Capes Scenic Loop

Cape Meares Lighthouse.

The Three Capes Scenic Loop starts west of Tillamook and passes Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda.  Cape Meares has both the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge.  The lighthouse is open to tours April through October.  In the spring visitors can see Common Murres nesting on the rocks and might also spot Peregrine Falcons.  In the winter migrating whales can sometimes be spotted.

Newport

My Dungeness crab before the massacre.

Newport is first and foremost a fishing town, which is why Newport is where you want to stop for lunch while driving along the Oregon coast.  We stopped at the Fish Peddler’s Market for Dungeness crab, and it may have been the best crab I have ever had.  A board on the wall lists the boats and boat owners bringing in the fresh catch.  All I can say is when I was done with my crab, it looked like a crab massacre, with broken, empty shells and stray bits of crab stuck to the wall.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

The oldest building in Newport is the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, which was built in 1871 and is located in the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site.  The Yaquina Head Lighthouse, also in Newport, was built one year later.  The Yaquina Head Lighthouse is located in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area which is in fact outstanding.  There are beautiful views of the ocean and coast from the lighthouse and the offshore islands are another spot for nesting Common Murres.

Countless Common Murres at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

Yachats to Florence

We stayed in the seaside town of Yachats (see below for Oregon coast hotel information).  Between the Oregon coast towns of Yachats and Florence there are two popular stops.  The first is Heceta Head Lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse on the Oregon coast because of its picturesque setting.  The second popular stop is the Sea Lion Caves, which is the largest sea cave in the United States and home to hundreds of sea lions.  Just beware that such a large population of sea lions in one place makes for a mighty powerful smell. 

Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Bandon

We included Bandon in our visit to the Oregon coast because Rome would be golfing Bandon Dunes.  The Bandon weather cooperated neither for Rome’s plans to play golf nor mine to explore the town of Bandon, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves just fine.

Since the Bandon weather was a bit miserable, I spent much of my time eating inside.  First I visited Tony’s Crabshack, a little shack in the parking lot along the water, for a crab sandwich. Then I headed over to Face Rock Creamery where I discovered my love for cheese curds.  You can watch cheese cruds being made through the window and sample a number of different flavors, though I prefer plain old unadulterated cheese curds.  After having my fill of cheese curd samples and picking my purchases, I headed over to the ice cream section and enjoyed a creamy berry Umpqua ice cream.

Mmm, cheese curds.

After filling up with dairy treats I drove around the little town of Bandon to Coquille Point, Coquille River Lighthouse, and Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint.  Given the weather my pictures from that day are incredibly overcast.  The next morning it cleared up considerably so we were able to get a better picture of Face Rock, the town’s most famous rock, so named because it looks like a face gazing up towards the sky.

Can you see the face?  (Face Rock is the one on the left.)

Southern Oregon Coast

South of Bandon to Brookings is the southern Oregon coast, which provides some of the best driving along the Oregon coast because in this section the 101 actually hugs the coast rather than being more inland and surrounded by trees as is the case farther north.  There are also a number of southern Oregon coast attractions often missed by travelers who don’t make it this far.

Our first stop along the southern Oregon coast was Cape Blanco where we found the Hughes House constructed in 1898, the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, and the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery.  It was interesting to note that all the pioneers in the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery were originally from Ireland.

Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery is a beautiful final resting place.

As we drove through Port Orford we noticed a sign painted on the street pointing towards the ocean view.  The signs were so big we figured we had to follow them.  We were led not only to an ocean view, but also to Griffs on the Dock Restaurant & Seafood, which turned out to be the perfect place to stop for lunch.  We had a fantastic lunch of Crab Louie for me and lingcod fish and chips for Rome.  This tiny restaurant on the dock also has a gift shop, tackle shop, and museum.

Gold Beach.

Driving further south along the Oregon coast we stopped at Gold Beach, a long stretch of beach with numerous rock formations.  While following a road just north of Gold Beach to another lookout we spotted some elk, which are really big and could wreck a car if they wanted.

Elk spotting!

Brookings

The last town on our visit to the Oregon coast was Brookings.  We were really only in Brookings to spend the night before starting the long drive through California back home to San Diego.  But there are two places you must visit while in Brookings.  The first is Brandy Peak Distillery, a micro-distillery producing some incredible brandies.  The other is The Vista Pub.  The burgers are made with grass-fed beef.  My burger was an honest 1/3 pound with jack cheese and grilled jalapeños.   The onion rings were made with fresh onions lightly battered.  They also have great craft beers on tap.

The Vista Pub in Brookings makes a fantastic burger.

PET FRIENDLY OREGON COAST HOTELS

You don’t have to be traveling with pets to enjoy these Oregon coast hotels, but if you are traveling with pets you’ll be happy to know there are some great pet friendly hotels along the Oregon coast happy to welcome your furry travel companions.

Adobe Resort – Yachats

Our ocean view at Yachats' Adobe Resort.

Yachats is about halfway down the Oregon coast a few miles south of Newport.  We stayed at the pet friendly Adobe Resort, which is situated right on the ocean’s edge.  We stayed in the dog friendly wing in a room with ocean views.  The room was spacious with laminate floors and a balcony, all at an incredibly affordable price.  Behind the hotel is a lovely trail along the rocky water’s edge.  Along this trail is a reminder of the treacherous strength of the ocean, a memorial for two young men who drowned when a sneaker wave swept them off the rocks into the churning water, unable to be saved by the four friends who were with them.

Best Western Inn at Face Rock Resort – Bandon

Our ocean (and wildlife) view from our room at Bandon's Best Western Inn at Face Rock Resort.

The Best Western Inn at Face Rock Resort, while a bit expensive compared to some other Oregon coast hotels, is a very nice pet friendly hotel.  Our room was a large suite that used to be two condominiums.  The suite had a master bedroom, two (two!) bathrooms, a fireplace, a balcony, and a view of the ocean across the street.  Not wanting to leave our charming suite and our view, we ended up ordering pizza from Tony’s Pizza (we were told it was the best pizza in Bandon, especially if Dave makes it) and dined in along with a bottle of Oregon wine from Eola Hills Winery which we bought in the hotel’s gift shop.

Best Western Plus Beach Front Inn – Brookings

Brookings' Best Western Plus Beach Front Inn as seen from the beach.

The Best Western Plus Beach Front Inn is another Oregon coast hotel that is right on the water.  While the hotel is pet friendly, they do not allow pets to be left unattended in the room.  Our room was spacious with a Jacuzzi tub with a view out to the ocean.  As we were on the first floor, we had a sliding glass door out to the grass and the beach beyond.

With so many towns, state parks, viewpoints, and attractions along the Oregon coast, you could spend weeks seeing them all.  Whether your interests lie in lighthouses, beaches, or wildlife, the Oregon coast will fill all your desires, and always with an ocean view. 

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