YELLOWSTONE to MONUMENT VALLEY – the drive to end all drives 

Monday – another 5.30am wake up call – an early start to say the least.  We are still recovering from the big day yesterday where we saw just about everything in Yellowstone and I managed to tick off about 9,000 of the planned 10,000 things to see and do!

There is not much talking so far (because we know what we have to do today) and we decide that we will favour the Golden Arches with our custom again. I know it sounds the same boring old stuff but the brekkies are nice and light and they suit our purpose as we can eat and drive and not waste time. We also get some yummy coffee at a little coffee shop in West Yellowstone.

The lady who owns it tells us she originally came from Oregon but loves it here so much that she doesn’t ever think of going back.  We hit the road – and we do not plan any stops today except for lunch and the necessary pit stops.  This drive today is the longest one planned in the trip. A 12 hour – 700 mile drive to Monument Valley! Yep – a full day! Yikes. We knew it was going to be a killer day so we hope that things will go smoothly for us so that we can arrive in Monument Valley by 9pm tonight or we will be locked out.

But first up we take a drive back to the Yellowstone Park Entrance so we can take a photo of the sign!  We always take photos of signs in case you didn’t know!  Kylie takes first turn at the wheel and I sit in the back and listen to my ipod.

We are all pretty quiet trying to recover from yesterday but I am sure that we will get our second wind and everything will be OK.

We have to double back a bit from Wyoming into Idaho and we head south – back through Pocatello where I decide I had better not start singing again.

The lovely lush trees have been left behind and the countryside is very mountainous and sparse – hardly any cover at all but and I manage to rustle up the energy to take some footage as we drive along.   Crossing into Utah about mid morning we begin our Osmond lookout!!

I am sure that they will be somewhere along the journey to wish us well!  Tyler has taken over the driving duties after our customary mid morning pit stop. Continuing south we head towards Salt Lake City where we think we will have lunch and maybe a quick look at the Mormon Temple.

The population starts to increase as we near this city and then we discover that it will be right out of our way to see the Temple so we decide just to stop along the road for a bite of lunch.  We select a fast food restaurant in a mall just outside Salt Lake City and decide that maybe it would be best if we give the Temple a miss as we have a deadline with Monument Valley.

I think maybe we are still a bit tired as a few growls and grumbles over the driving take place but we all settle down and press on.  All for one and one for all!  Unfortunately Donny and Marie did not come to pay us a visit so undaunted, we continue driving.  Tyler is behind the wheel and Kylie has decided to hop in the back for a snooze.  As we drive along we see some rather ominous clouds in the distance.  Looks like a real dandy of a storm brewing but it is far off to the west and shouldn’t bother us. Little did we know – read on.

The earth around Utah changes from brown to harsh red, back to brown then green and bushy then to red again.  It is incredible.  All of a sudden it decides to rain. Not little raindrops but dirty big thumpers.

The temperature outside the car has dropped from 104F to 70F degrees in about 30 seconds and the sky has become nasty to say the least.  We wonder where this came from.  There are a few little homesteads along the way and they look so desolate in this area.

Looking around we see the storm clouds coming closer and rain absolutely teeming down from them.  We hope that we are not going to get these beauties.  The temperature has risen again!

Further into the journey Kylie has taken the wheel and we pass by the Patmos Mountain Range where K & T think I am making up names for things as we go. Little do they know that I am following the journey on the AAA maps so that I can tell people where we are on the video!

I think we are never going to get out of this area – it goes for miles and miles and miles.  A quick pit stop at Green River and the temperature has risen even further to 103F and the storm clouds are racing to catch up with us.

There is an almighty dust storm when we are making our stop, but when it’s time to get back driving it has subsided.

As we drive along I supply the information that we are in the Green River State Park.  Ha! If you go to this place there is nothing green although I did think I saw a twig and a couple of leaves so maybe that was it!  There definitely is no river – so someone has a sense of humour.

We proceed through Utah (now known as the State of Stoney Silence thanks to a visit from Mr Policeman) – night is approaching along with a dirty big storm!

Another interesting sign ‘Hole in the Rock’.  We do not know what this means but it’s only natural that a photo is required of course.  When I get back home I discover that it is a home carved out of the rock.

There is a storm on the way and a chorus of John Denver’s ‘There’s a storm across the Valley’ results in threats along the lines of me being left on the roadside. I decide that I had better shut up – a good move.

Lots of lava fields make up the scenery with some distant mountains.

Lightning, thunder, black clouds and torrential rain in the distance excites us, not to mention the black as ink sky!

After this excitement a rainbow appears on the left of the car.   Unfortunately it excites us that much we take the wrong turn off and end up at a viewing area at Canyonlands. However we get fabulous views over the rocky outcrops and the lava fields which means fabulous photos.

The storm in the distance keeps closing in on us but we continue snapping away getting some great shots of the clouds with the rain pouring from them and the occasional flash of lightning. We have about 3 hours to go before a relaxing night.

Back in the car the rocky outcrops on both sides of the car are a brilliant red-brown but they soon turn into the flat green plains with the La Salle Mountain Range in the distance. The storm seems to be nearly upon us and as it gets darker and darker – I must admit it is frightening as it is pitch black with the lightning flashing in the distance.

Kylie does a great job of driving and we all arrive safe and sound at Monument Valley but we are stuffed to say the least and the time is about 9pm. We cannot see anything – not that we really want to go sightseeing at that hour.

We are absolutely worn out from the day and are looking forward to a good night’s sleep. We book in to Gouldings and they have given us a stand alone cabin on the top ledge behind the motel-style apartments – this is supposedly the cabin with the best view but we will have to wait until tomorrow to enjoy the views!

The cabin is very cosy and we do not take much time before we are showered and slumbering in the land of the Navajo and the quiet of the Valley.  Ah Peace!!!  How wonderful it is.

Highlight of the day: the tempestuous storms!