May 7th, 2010, 18:36 hours
The OAUSA 2010 Navajo Expedition – 1,294.3 miles of driving, hiking, climbing, photographing and exploration over 239 hours, 43 minutes and 4 seconds (about 11 days). We encountered just about every sort of weather possible (short of a tornado or a hurricane), but somehow it always seemed like just the right weather for the moment (or the picture).
Many thanks to Dave of OAUSA for setting this up, the Navajo and our guides for their hospitality, and everyone else who participated in making this a wonderful trip. I would have to say the highlights for me were a 3-way tie between the Poncho House ruins on day 6, the snow/rain in Monument Valley on day 8, and Tom’s peach cobbler… all of these would be hard to beat.
All of the pictures from this trip can be found in the Flickr set.
Note: the geo-locations for many of the pictured sites have been changed to the local jail, since that is where you will be staying if you try to go out on your own and find these places without a local guide and permission from the Navajo Nation. If you would like to visit some of these places for yourself I suggest heading over to OAUSA to find out when the next trip will be.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, Canyon de Chelly, Colorado Plateau, Flagstaff, Indian Country, Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Overland, overlanding, Painted Desert, Red Valley, Utah
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May 2nd, 2010, 13:23 hours
We opted to skip breakfast at camp, not so much for the light snow that was coming down, but the fact that the rest of the group had to make it all the way back to Los Angeles today. It was warmer this morning than yesterday… at least it felt that way, maybe because there was no wind? Either way, a little snow was a great way to end the trip. I’m also very glad it was cold enough for snow, as it would have been much harder to pack up in rain.
Mc Donald’s has changed their pancake recipe – it’s actually pretty good. Their “Mc Cafe” coffee is total crap though.
I finally got my crumb doughnuts… 
Tags: Arizona, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Indian Country, Land Rover, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Painted Desert
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May 1st, 2010, 17:07 hours
Betatakin was an easy hike down over a typical NPS-style trail with a restroom at each end. The ruins are fairly large, and in good shape at each end (a rock shelf gave way in the center taking much of the village with it). Unfortunately, you can only walk into a small portion of the collapsed area. The hike back up is a 750-foot elevation gain, but easy terrain. This is a great place to stop if you are unable to hire a guide, or lack a vehicle capable of reaching the more remote ruins. Both this guided hike and the adjacent Sunset View Campground we stayed in are free of charge.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Indian Country, Land Rover, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Painted Desert
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April 30th, 2010, 19:30 hours
Lazy morning, felt good after the past week of at-dawn action. After a couple hours of relaxation and breakfast around a morning campfire we headed up past Goulding to drop off Carlos. If you are ever up in the Monument Valley area looking for a guide I highly recommend Simpson’s Trailhandler Tours, and specifically, Carlos.
The sheep out here do not look, and do not wait for anyone or anything… not even a convoy of 4×4s.
After a quick lunch in Kayenta, we reached Navajo National Monument and set up an early camp. We’ll be hiking down to Betatakin tomorrow, as Keet Seel is still closed. It is cold up here on the mountain, and in typical NPS fashion no campfires are allowed. An early dinner and early bed are on the agenda tonight. Tomorrow’s hike to Betatakin starts at 09:30.
Gear Thoughts
I find myself waiting for the Helton-based shower rather than using the available Zodi system. While you do have to keep the vehicle running to heat the water, I find I much prefer the output of the marine pump, the variable (or off) flow allowed by the heat exchanger, and the added wind protection being right up against a vehicle. With the Zodi, there isn’t a lot of pressure and you must have the water on the entire time, as stopping the water will burn up the heating coils. This means it takes longer to get wet, longer to rinse off, and you waste water when you’re washing and don’t need it. I ended up using the same amount of water on each system, despite the higher output of the marine pump. The increased cost (tripple) is worth the added comfort and control, and vehicle dependence is really a non-issue when you consider the fact that the vehicle is probably going to be sitting there anyhow in a situation where you would use the shower.
On shower enclosures, at least in cold weather, I found I also preferred the PETT system’s tent over Outback’s Porta-Privy. The Porta-Privy has a large, always-open skylight that lets all of the heat escape – a very bad thing when you are showering in 40° weather. The PETT tent has three windows which can be left open or closed, and are designed such you can toss the shower sprayer into one so the excess water drips outside while you are drying off.
Tags: Arizona, Betatakin, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Helton, Indian Country, Land Rover, Monument Valley, National Monument, National Park Service, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, NPS, OAUSA, Painted Desert, PETT, shower, Simpson’s, Trailhandler Tours, Zodi
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April 29th, 2010, 22:39 hours
Yesterday’s wind was followed by a 25° drop in temperature and a sprinkling of snow, making for a beautiful and dust-free return to Monument Valley. We set off from Mexican Hat after a wonderful breakfast at The Olde Bridge Grille. We will definitely be back this way, as the town is a perfect spot to base future explorations around southeast Utah. Today was a short day today with much of our sight seeing done from or very near the vehicles. The area of Monument Valley known as Mystery Valley is full of pictographs, small ruins, natural arches/bridges and slot canyons to explore. The place is a maze of rock, sand and history.
An early camp at Rain God Mesa made for a welcome rest and conversation around the campfire, and time to catch up on the trip’s highlights thus far.
The last remnants of the storm passed just to the west of us, making for a beautiful sunset…
Food: Dave made an excellent dessert tonight by grilling thin slices of mango, then covering them with honey. This combination of heat and honey changes the texture and brings out the flavor and sugar of the mango, and the peel makes the perfect bowl. The result is what candy would be if you could harvest it from a tree and grill it over a fire.
Tags: Arizona, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, dust storm, food, Hunts Mesa, Indian Country, Land Rover, Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, Mystery Valley, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, San Juan Inn, San Juan Trading Post, sand storm, Simpson’s, The Olde Bridge Grille, Trailhandler Tours, Utah
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April 28th, 2010, 20:50 hours
Morning brought us up through the tourist-saturated area around The View Hotel, giving us a welcome stop at a grocery store for resupply. Still no sign of my Hostess Crunch doughnuts, I really should have bought some when we stopped in Flagstaff. The rest of the day on into early evening we traveled through even more expansive dunes, cliffs, and slickrock trails with one added obstacle – an ever worsening dust storm.
We’ve reached the top of Hunts Mesa at what seems to be the peak of the storm. The weather radio reports it will not pass until sometime after 21:00. A search of several potential campsites reveals none with shelter from the sand-blasting, made worse by the many dunes up here on the mesa. It would seem the local hotels are in cahoots with the weather, with rates starting at $195. Carlos mentions he knows a good place for us to stay in his home town of Mexican Hat, so we’re heading for the Utah border.
The San Juan Inn & Trading Post, Carlos’ recommendation for “camp” and dinner, turned out to be this perfect little 2-story structure clinging to the cliffs over the San Juan river. As it is just outside the reservation, the restaurant (The Olde Bridge Grille) serves alcohol. As it is in Utah, they have Polygamy Porter. They also have excellent food… 
Tags: Arizona, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, dust storm, food, Hunts Mesa, Indian Country, Land Rover, Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, San Juan Inn, San Juan Trading Post, sand storm, Simpson’s, The Olde Bridge Grille, Trailhandler Tours, Utah
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April 27th, 2010, 21:43 hours
I almost regret the shower I took after dinner last night, I was still cold from it when I woke up. Still, it was better than being stinky all day today. Between the cold and my sore feet from yesterday’s hike I’m looking forward to the drive down into the desert this morning.
We were on time arriving at the meeting place for our next guide today, but he was running a little late so we had time to resupply and relax a little. Note: gas stations in the Navajo Nation cut off debit cards at $35, so make sure your tank is actually full when the pump shuts off. At first glance, our guide arrived dressed just like any everyday city folk you’d see waiting in line at a Starbuck’s, but both his knowledge of ruin locations and ability to entertain 4×4-equipped adventurers quickly became apparent. Not 20 minutes later Carlos (our guide) was guiding us over dunes and slickrock in search of a passable route to Poncho House ruin.
The ruins themselves were nothing short of spectacular. Multi-story walls and “streets” remained on the cliff face – all within reach after a short climb. I pushed myself a little too hard hiking here, but a little overheating was well worth it to rest in the shade of this place.
Our departure took us the long way around and into Monument Valley, with opportunities for even more rock, sand and cross-country route finding. The final descent into Monument Valley took us through the strangest cattle guard which had a bar welded over the top allowing only 94 inches of clearance. Several vehicles had to remove cargo from the roof to make it through.
The end of the road found us at one of the tour company’s (Simpson’s Trailhandler Tours) hogans for fry bread, Navajo tacos (a good tostada on fry bread), and a dance performance which included drums and vocals by Carlos (who happens to have an incredible voice). We left dinner for a campsite right up against the north face of Rain God Mesa.
Tags: Arizona, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, food, Indian Country, Land Rover, Monument Valley, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, Poncho House, Red Valley, Simpson's, Trailhandler Tours
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April 26th, 2010, 22:07 hours
Had a good sleep last night. Finally warm, thanks to a combination of Charlie’s liquor and Dani’s company. We were up and starting breakfast before everyone woke up for a change.
We went out for the first portion of today’s hike with the intention of turning back after Window Rock for a trip into town, but ended up continuing on the 20-mile round trip to the ruins. During the long hike across the valley I discovered that not only am I not allergic to the sagebrush filling this place, but they actually clear my sinuses right up. Our guide says the Navajo use them as a medicinal tea by boiling them.
The first ruins we reached had a few pictographs, pottery shards, corn cobs and broken walls, but none nearly as preserved as seen on Friday. It looks like there is a seasonal spring here that has melted most of the structures and artifacts away, awesome view though.
The brisk pace to the next two ruins and back to the truck was exhausting, but there was no time for a shower as we were late for dinner. At least I will get to crap in a real crapper. More hiking to get to dinner. We were moving slower than the group after our long hike today, so the cutiest little pug-nosed dog kept running back and forth to make sure we made each turn.
Tags: Arizona, camp, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, food, Indian Country, Land Rover, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, Red Valley
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April 25th, 2010, 19:33 hours
Up early today for an 07:30 departure – sleeping inside the Discovery I didn’t realize just how cold it was getting up here. There’s nothing like thin-shaved steak from last nights meal for breakfast… I wonder why we always save the tastiest food for camping trips?
We made it on the road at 09:30, about half an hour after we were to meet the next guide. The resulting swift drive was both fun and beautiful, and we arrived three hours later after passing through the still snow-covered mountains.
Note to self: try out mission-critical gear before the big trip. Unfortunately, I was too busy getting the Discovery finished to take a hike with my new belt setup, which really was not ready for long hikes. We started out late, still making good time, but ultimately lost the track from the group headed up to the ruins where they crossed part of a slick-rock butte. We spent some time exploring the surrounding area before heading back to the vehicles. If we keep doing these colder weather hikes I’m tempted to go back to the convenience of a simple vest.
Over dinner we discussed the possibility of a longer Mojave Road trip starting at the Kingman end of the Hualapai Mountains and working our way south. Dinner was the most excellent chicken I have ever tasted, courtesy of Dave, followed by dutch oven peach cobbler and Sambvca (an anise-flavored liqueur from Romania) by Tom and Charlie.
Tags: Arizona, camp, Canyon de Chelly, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, food, Indian Country, Land Rover, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, Red Valley, Sambvca
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April 24th, 2010, 22:14 hours
A cold and cloudy sunrise obscured the Spider Rock picture I was after this morning, but made for some beautiful skies. After an excellent french toast breakfast by Frank, the sun broke through to reveal that I really wanted a 9-o’clock picture. Lots of driving and a little hiking today to see Standing Cow and Spanish Invasion pictographs, the Navajo Fortress ruins, the Junction ruins, and explore around Black Rock Canyon and (Little Middle and) Middle Mesa.
Back at camp we were joined by Daniel’s brother for a fire-side performance of flute, drum, singing and dancing. Steak for dinner, and we also found an excellent new wine we’ll have to pick up: Bogle Vinyards Old Vine Zinfandel.
Tags: Arizona, Black Rock Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Colorado Plateau, Discovery, Indian Country, Junction Ruins, Land Rover, Little Middle Mesa, Middle Mesa, Navajo, Navajo Expedition, Navajo Fortress, Navajo Nation, OAUSA, Painted Desert, Spanish Invasion, Spider Rock, Standing Cow
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