"Was not able to post due to a poor internet connection in Mexican Hat. We are now in Escalante, UT on our way to Bryce Canyon, UT. Dennis wrote up another synopsis of his day and I have included it below. So here is his report, with my commentary and photos in quotes."
Day Three of trip with Joe Baker: ("Click on my name to go to my Facebook page.") Our trip on this portion was from Durango, CO. to Mexican Hat, Ut, about 250 miles and the country is getting more beautiful. WE left out about 8am and headed west on Hwy 160. The first part of the ride continued through the mountains and then started dropping down into desert country. We passed Mesa Verde National Park which was the beginning of seeing the large desert escarpments and buttes. The rock formations were huge and you wondered how they could stay standing with some at least a 1000 feet tall. We were headed towards the famous Shiprock area but then we turned, still following Hwy 160 headed to Four Corners. Now we were truly in solid desert country but a great road and little traffic. However I would call this highway "Beer Bottle Hwy" because there were thousands of beer bottles all thrown on the sides of the road. Since the road was raised you didn't notice it that much unless you noticed them and kept looking. Just miles and miles of them.
Well about 3 hours of riding we finally reached Four Corners (note that it's $3 to get in) and I guess it just one of those places you say you've been to. It was basically a “plaza” surrounded by a lot of stalls for the local Indians to sell crafts.
"REMEMBER, CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE."
What I enjoyed better was dropping down into the valley just before it and crossing the San Juan River. The valley there was sort of a mini Grand Canyon (a small taste of what was yet ahead). Out of Four Corners we rode desert for a long time and again found ourselves riding into strong crosswinds. The thing that amazed me was “how can people even live out here?” and yet we’d come across some trailer or small house sitting out a quarter, half or even a mile off the paved road in the middle of ………nothing. And then things started to change once again.
First I started to notice taller rock formations just jutting up out of the desert. Or a long shelf of huge rocks swelling out of the desert sand at a slanted angle like someone had just tilted everything at some point and running for miles. (of course the was evidence of a huge tectonic upward plate shift but seeing it in so stark a setting in such magnitude was eye opening. Then in the background you start to see very, very large buttes and incredibly shaped formations again just jutting up out of the earth as if a huge hand just shoved it up through the surface from below. This was heading into Kayenta, AZ. (we had been heading SW now into AZ from NM and CO). 
As we turned onto Hwy 163 I began seeing unbelievable formations thinking this has to be Monument Valley where we were headed. We headed up a rise out of town (heading NNE now) and upon reaching the top the vista ahead of us left me speechless and in awe of the beauty. I felt like an ant in the valley of giants.
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| "Headed up Hwy 163 north." |
The color, the contrast with the desert, the incredibly beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds. I felt like I was looking back into the day of creation when the earth was formed with mountains. I thought of the timeframe all of this must have taken, of the enormous pressures, of the hand of God “to beautify the earth”. Now I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, Moab, through the Rockies, Yosemite, all of which are breathtaking and I didn’t think I would be impressed again like I was. I thought how much I wish my family was with me to see this, how to convey to friends so they could experience it for themselves. And I wish they could know what it would be like to do it on a motorcycle, to feel almost a part of the landscape, the air around you, the sky your only roof over your head. Unbelievable.
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| "From Arizona into Utah" |
It turns out the “actual” Monument Valley is sacred place for the ancient Indians and still sacred to them today. It is a valley off the main highway with a visitors center on a bluff ($5 to get to) overlooking the bluff.
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"These two photos taken from the visitors center observation deck." 
"As I was in the Monument Valley Visitors Center I thought this was a pretty cool photo to take. Looking thru the window by the check out counter. The window frames the monument so well."
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They have special open tour vehicles that take you down through the valley to show you some of the incredible formations. Some however are off limits to the public and remain sacred areas to the Indians only. This we didn’t do because to tell you the truth as we continued on there was so much to see I don’t think anything in “the Valley” could top it and from the highway and it was all free!. We continued on Hwy 163 to Mexican Hat, Ut. where we stayed at the San Juan Motel and Trading Post. As Joe mentioned in his post, as we left the Monument Valley area we passed a film crew which we learned later was working on the next movie “Transformers 4”.
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| "Monument Valley" "Looking behind us as we departed the valley, headed to Mexican Hat" |
Our little motel was on a bluff above the San Juan River and had a restaurant with some pictures of different stars who had been there while some movie they were working on was filmed locally. One of my favorites was on the wall….William Macy of Wild Hogs who I identify most with when it comes to riding a Harley! As the evening wore on more bikes started rolling in and just in time as a dust/wind/rain storm blew through.
"Here is William Macy from the movie Wild Hogs, whom Dennis fancies himself as... "
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| "Our stay in Mexican Hat" |
Some additional photos and captions...
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| "Here I am, showing off how to be in four states at one time, Four Corners." |
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| "Dennis showing me the better way to do it, by using just four fingers." |
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| "Geographical marker. Which I understand is not in the correct location. Oh well." |
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| "Dennis washing his socks he loves. He pulled off his boots later that evening and oh my Lord...I said time to bag them Dennis."
"It is now May 30th, appx. 6:30 am Mountain Time, and we are in Escalante, UT. Dennis is snoring and sleeping well at this moment. Headed to Bryce Canyon shortly where I saw it was 31 degrees...burr. Then on up to Provo, UT. I have some great photos of yesterday's ride and will try to post by Friday. We have had poor internet connections these past few days and it has become very frustrating and time consuming just to post the little I have."
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