Monument Valley lies entirely inside the Navajo Indian Reservation and stretches across parts of two states – Utah and Arizona and is near the very small Indian town of Goulding. To say it is remote is an understatement.
What you find in Monument Valley are towering sandstone rock formations that have been formed over 500 million years and rise to heights over 1000’ above the valley floor. The bright red clay of the valley floor and the rock formations form beautiful backdrops to a southeastern Utah blue sky or sky pockmarked with thunderclouds and lightning. This was some of the most gorgeous landscape we had seen so far.
We opted to drive the Mini Cooper instead of taking a guided tour and it was a good thing we did. We started out with blue skies which quickly turned to dark ominous clouds and rain. The tour buses were basically big open trucks with wood seats and a canopy. The price of $60 per person seemed a little steep, especially since our guidebook was free. The wind howled, the rain went sideways and the people in those tour buses were toast. The Mini got dirty, but the squalls were brief and we were able to take a ton of pictures.
We ate at the restaurant on the grounds, a less than memorable meal but the views were gorgeous.
This marinade for any kind of steak comes from a recipe found at the Savory Spice Shop, my favorite haunt in Corona Del Mar and other environs where they have locations. I used it on a flatiron steak, but truth be told it can be used on most any meat you want to grill. Enjoy!
the wooden spoon - a travel/photo blog 