What ever happened to Fun Friday?

Remember our summer program and my super great plan for Fun Friday? Well, even though I haven't been very good at blogging about it, we kept it up all summer long, and it made life not only bearable all summer long, but we actually had a great time. So great, in fact, I was actually sad to see school start again (and not just because we had to live in a camper). Our big plan was to go to visit a big list of sites in our area, and we managed to make it to all of them before school started. In order to save a little time and gas we lumped a bunch of them together.

On this particular day we headed South - WAY SOUTH- to the place where the "earth meets the sky". The scenery was beautiful, and so diverse. (yes most of these pictures are taken out of my car window as I was driving, don't judge)

I love the way the different colors make a "sand art" design on the cliffs here.

Our first stop was Goosenecks State Park. This is where the San Juan River has, over time, worn away the rock as it meanders across the country side. This results in truly magnificent cliffs. The pictures don't do it justice, it is seriously a breathtaking view.  There is a lookout point and a sign explaining it a bit, but other than that there isn't much there. In fact, there isn't even a toll booth - the cost to enter is free. There aren't any marked trails here, but there are a few campgrounds available. It is just a short drive off the main road, and totally worth the trip. We hiked around a bit, but Adia could barely wait to get to our next stop, so she didn't let us hang around much.

Our next stop was "Mexican Hat Rock" and for reasons unknown, Adia had been anticipating this one all summer long...

We were all a little bit disappointed. This is it. You can pull over and hike up to it if you want, but that's all there is. And we don't really get how it looks like a Mexican's hat, so if you can see it, please enlighten me. After that epic letdown we climbed back in the car and continued on our way.

This is when the journey became truly beautiful.  So much so, I even took the time to pull over and take a picture rather than my regular drive by tourist shots. 

Once we arrived in Monument Valley our first stop was... Arizona. I missed the turn (even though it is CLEARLY marked- we were having a snack time fiasco at the moment) and we drove about a mile down the road where we passed out of Utah. Realizing our mistake we flipped a U and ended up at the Navajo Tribal Park. The cost is $5 per person with ages 9 and under getting in free. It was totally worth the cost. The museum was so informative, and very kid friendly. We all learned a lot about the Navajo culture and history. It is a beautiful building with lovely photos of the people and the area hanging all over the walls. The building is huge and has an inn, a restaurant (The food was fantastic - the Navajo taco was to die for), and a gift shop in addition to the museum. 

Outside of the museum there is a lookout point where you can take pictures and see the stunning views.

These are "the mittens". My dad has always said that this is the place where God put his hands in the cement while creating the world.

There are trails for driving or walking, and even guided tours available for a cost. ( to truly understand the majestic greatness of these rock formations look on the road- you might want to click the picture to make it larger- on the right hand side of the picture there is a car driving on the road. That puts things into perspective a little bit. It truly is a magnificent sight.) We didn't do a tour, instead we left and went across the highway to Goulding's.
A long time ago Mike and Harry (the wife) Goulding opened a trading post here. There is a museum- run by donations, pay as little or as much as you want - that is set up inside the original trading post/ home that tells the history of the area, and the Gouldings. Many movies were shot in this location, and my kids had a great time identifying many that they had seen before. Now there is a motel, a restaurant, a trading post, a gas station, and an RV park there. It is really fun to explore the old buildings and walk around the property. We bought pocket knives in the trading post, and ice cream in the restaurant.

This is the spectacular view from their front door. I never could have lived there at that time, but it isn't hard to see why they wanted to.

Then we headed for home. We stopped at a couple of roadside stands to buy nick-nacks and jewelry. Most of the things at these little stands are hand made from local stones. They are beautiful, and the prices are amazing. Plus, it's fun to look around and experience the culture and visit with the shop owners.

You can even find God if you're looking for him - We didn't stay for that, we already know him.

And one last picture that killed me. If you have spent much time in this area you know why it's funny, and if you haven't, you won't get it, but either way that's all I'm saying on the matter. :)

It was a really fun day. It's a long trip. We stopped a lot, and spent a lot of time at each place, and it took us the better part of a day. The road is pretty good most of the way - our car made it without a problem. The temperature was warm, but it was also threatening to storm much of the day, so it was cooler than usual. There are services all along the way, but it is probably a good idea to be sure you have a full tank of gas before heading down, just to be safe.