18 June Natural Bridges/Monument Valley

It has been quite a day and we are now nestled away in the Quality Inn in Page, Arizona, which will be our home for two nights. Man, is it hot! Bob and Tom will share some thoughts on our adventures the last day or two.
Bob's comments on Day 5: This has been our longest day (not to be confused with the efforts of our WWII veterans. Last night we visited the 2 Axes Saloon and Restaurant. We munched on the salad and pizza buffet while the Tribe got beat by the Rockies. I called Ryan Thomas who is in Alaska to share our blog site and in the process he told us all Utah brew is 3.2. After getting over the nausea I asked Greg and Tom to take me home. Wednesday we will leave Utah and it's archaic blue laws. We headed to Natural Bridges National Monument which is out side of Blanding, Utah by 34 miles. There are 3 bridges and Indian ruins in one "snaking" canyon of light sandy color. Bridges are different form arches. They are formed by rushing water. The three could be viewed from nearby parking areas and a short hike. The place is extremely isolated and it seems only the French have discovered its uniqueness. We pushed on many miles to get to Monument Valley. Along the way we stopped to photograph Mexican Hat and stopped in the town of Mexican Hat at the San Juan Trading Post for lunch and souvenir shopping. I still have not found a belt. Not far down the road we saw the Monuments of Monument Valley (a destination). It was the same highway Forrest Gump traveled on his long run and where he stopped to go home. People suggested we not pass through but rather go into the visitors center and drive the "rugged" loop. The Navajos operate the entire Valley (paybacks) and they charge per person. We challenged the 17 mile loop in our red Impala. The unsuspecting will encounter deep ruts, tire crunching rocks, steep inclines and hard turns all within the first 100 yards. As the road smoothed out we searched for the ghost of John Wayne. After all this place was Hollywood's back lot for many westerns. We pulled a Cooperstown and made the advertised ride of 2 hours in 40 minutes (our poor rent-a-car). The Navajos must have gouged out this beautiful valley and they are still gouging us tourist. Experience tells me you can get all your photos from the main highway. In one more hour we drove into Page, Arizona home of 5% beer alcohol content……whew! We have dignity in a Quality Inn with a view high over Glenn Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Tomorrow you will know what we decided to do. Utah's beauty is 100 proof but that is as far as it goes.

Hey all, just another hot day on the road……..did some wonderful places today…..had lunch at a great off-the-wall place……road trip is going well…..spending the night in Page, Arizona…..real beer and bars….The magnificence of this is awe inspiring…..the tremendous size just cannot be expressed in a simple post card or picture….it has to be experienced…..God Bless…..enjoy life…..the mayor of lower Dogtown

When we found out we were drinking 3.2 beer, each of us had flashbacks…Bob thought he was at Tony's in Chagrin…Tom thought he was at a frat party at Mizzou when he was in high school…and I thought of college ID night at the old Agora, with ten cent drafts. Those were the days!
Greg