The ride from Flagstaff to Monument Valley was a fairly long one at around 3 hours, plus the break times. The day started out tolerably warm so we enjoyed the breathtaking scenery; however, by the time we reached our destination, it was cold and rainy.
Tiny biker passing through Tuba City
Rosy Mountains in Tuba City
Sunny Skies in Tonalea
Monument Valley is located on a Native reservation so we had to pay an entry fee of $16 USD. It was cash-only so we were lucky to have some on us. We parked the bike at the View Hotel and went up to their terrace to take pictures of the stunning views surrounding us.
Despite the grey skies, and the rainy and chilly weather, we got a few nice shots and then headed inside the hotel to get some warm beverages. While we were having our drinks, the weather started to clear up and gave way to some sunshine.
Grey Skies in Monument Valley
Sunny Skies in Monument Valley
We contemplated doing the off-road tour of the valley, but decided against it as we figured that getting the loaded bike stuck or dropped in the muddy roads that the rain left behind would not be so much fun.
Phil did the tour last year when he traveled around the States on his own so if you had your heart set on getting our account of the off-road tour, you can read his post here.
We didn’t stay very long, around 2 hours, which was a good call on our part as on our way to our accommodation in Farmington, we came across a serious accident on the highway where the vehicle in question was totaled and the driver was stuck inside.
There was a long line-up of vehicles waiting to get through; however, the wait time to extract the driver from the vehicle was estimated to be between 3-4 hours. That left us with four options:
- Wait 3-4 hours before continuing along our way
- Take the I-40, lose our booking for the night, and find something along the way
- Take a dirt-road detour with unknown road conditions beyond 2 miles
- Take a detour that adds an extra 40 minutes to our travel time and takes us through winding roads
We went with the fourth option and despite the longer commute, we were pleasantly surprised at how scenic the route was. With mountains of red rocks and lush green vegetation, we weren’t exactly disgruntled from having to ride longer.
Red Mountains of Lukachukai
More Red Mountains of Lukachukai
Sunset in Red Valley
We arrived at our accommodation after dark, but safe and sound, and tired beyond words. Needless to say, we slept like corpses.
