Valley Monuments

Story

The desert Southwest calls me, it’s siren song whispering to all that I am. I try to stay away, but the Southwest draws me back into its depth, time and again. Here, I always find the peace and solace that I hold so dear. Valley Monuments is a testament to that calling.

There is something about the shifting sands, tall red rock spires, and azure skies that resonates deeply within. Needless to say, I spend quite a lot of time looking for exactly these places.

One of my favorite haunts is Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation. However, just north of Monument Valley lies another extraordinary area: Valley of the Gods.

This valley is where Road Canyon exits Cedar Mesa and opens back up into the desert. As the canyon falls away, monuments, the tall, red rock buttes and spires that dominate the landscape, take over, standing tall and proud, piecing the very sky.

However you look at it, these buttes are impressive. From far away they dominate the landscape, and up close their size overwhelms your senses. As you continue south a few miles, the landscape gives way to Monument Valley proper.

Still, there is something very pristine about this known, but little traveled, area. The landscape remains pure and just as it has been forever.

Traces of humans remain here, but very few. Although overlooked by most, this area is exactly the kind of place that I seek.