A Memorable Memorial Day Trip (Monument Valley & Antelope
Canyon)
--- Chiranjib Sardar
Our US Airways flight touched the ground of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 6.40
AM local time. It was a bright sunny day and four of us were all set to start our Memorial Day
weekend trip to Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon. The shuttle took us to the rental car
center which is 5 miles away from airport. By 8 AM we got the keys of our travel companion for
the next three days – a red colored 4X4 SUV. Our first destination was Monument Valley which
is in the border of Arizona and Utah. It is 320 miles drive from Phoenix. We took I-17 North and
after 150 miles we stopped at Flagstaff for our brunch. Flagstaff is a picturesque city near the
southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau located adjacent to Mount Elden, just south of the
San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona. Humphreys Peak, the
highest point in Arizona at 12,633’ is located about 10 miles north of Flagstaff in Kachina Peaks
Wilderness.
We fueled our hungry stomachs with an old American style brunch and the car with some gas.
Soon after we started from Flagstaff the whole vicinity was covered by deep fog and smoke
coming out of a forest fire. There were flashing alerts on the highway since the visibility dropped
significantly. After 30 minutes of driving on US 89 we crossed the foggy area and it was a clear
sunny sky again. But our luck started playing some little tricks with us. As we moved ahead it
started raining and shining alternatively. The landscape was also changing like the weather. The
pitch black highway went straight ahead of us dividing a vast desert-type land with no sign of
civilization. The small hills, plateau, suddenly one or two small houses in the middle of nowhere
reminded us that we are on earth. We drove through US 89 then US 160 and finally US 163 to
reach Monument Valley.
As we approached Monument Valley, the sky was gradually covered with thick clouds and
suddenly it started pouring as if it would never stop. We were only hoping that it’s desert rain
and will not continue for long. The three-day vacation plan was so tight and back-to-back that
any delay in one location meant eventually missing some spots. We crossed Kayenta which is a
small sleepy town 20 miles south of Monument Valley. There was still no sign of sun. We
started thinking of plan B if we couldn’t visit Monument Valley that day. Approximately 10
miles away we made a quick stop where local Navajo people sell their hand-crafted arts and
jewelry. A nice panoramic view of the Monument Valley in far north horizon was as if
beckoning us. Who had expected that in late May we had to wear sweater and jacket! Yes it was
cold and windy, and we were shivering. Almost all the shops were empty as there were no sellers
and no customers. Quick photo shoot and we were back in the car. Luckily rain had stopped by
that time and we decided to stick to our plan.
The Navajo name of Monument Valley is Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, meaning ‘valley of the rocks’.
Monument Valley is at 5,564’ elevation with 91,696 acres area. This great valley boasts
sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet. The angle of the sun accents
these graceful formations, providing scenery that is simply spellbinding. The landscape
overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are