Hat Rock Inn Mexican Hat

... at Subway - the "best", ie. healthiest, for me, mainstream road food reliably available - I needed more layers, so I added the inner liner for my mesh jacket, plus a windbreaker shell with hood over the jacket. This was a good combination, as the shell prevented wind from entering the mesh, and its hood under my helmet eliminated the cold air on the back of my neck. My decision to take my mesh jacket instead of my winter jacket was a good one ...

The next day was a fairly boring day as we simply spent it driving. We did stop at a lake to have a swim and then later we went to another river where we saw more engravings. The river was running too strong to swim in (although a few people tried).

Further along on our way to our campsite we stopped by the Mexican Hat (see picture) and there's actually a town named after it: "Mexican Hat", what a name for a town! Why ...

... We waited in the lobby which was furnished with hard wood chairs. The adjacent guest’s lobby had plush couches! In our lobby, there is a metal statue of a cowboy on a horse who has a Star of David on the ankle of his pants. I didn’t know there were any Jewish cowboys, except for those in Blazing Saddles, that is.

The group, which consisted of a German family and us, descended into the canyon past the towering formations called ...

... der Park um einige Höhenmeter tiefer, was eine unterschiedliche Steinfarbe mit sich bringt

Danach haben wir die „Heimreise" angetreten und sind zu unserem San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat gefahren. Die Fahrt dort hin war wieder erlebnisreich J Als wir wieder Meilenlang mit Minusgeschwindigkeiten geradeaus fuhren, zeigte sich nach einer Kurve uns etwas Einzigartiges. Eine kleine, geschotterte Straße am Steilen Fels entlang. Supi für Maxi, nicht so toll für die Beifahrerin ;-)

... the vehicle on occasions. It was also threatening to rain. I did feel embarrassed as articulated lorries were passing me at speed and I was just pootling along at around 45mph. I was so glad that Andrea stayed awake with me and the other side of Denver was the change over point at around 12am. The concentration required for my drive meant that I was out cold very quickly after Andrea started driving.

... for the first half of the hike, waiting for the right time and place. When we got to the pictographs, I knew I had found the spot. There was a large sandy beach, surrounded by cottonwoods, and a sheer canyon wall. Very nice. I suggested we stop there to eat lunch. It was perfect! And then some other hikers came along, and I thought they were gonna ruin my moment, but they slowly passed without noticing us or the pictographs. Phew! When ...

... was elsewhere - we were glad he wasn't as there was a lot of controls. As we took off Wilma went a funny shade of pale and showed her teeth in what can only be described as a grimmace. Not long into the flight she began to enjoy herself and her lips actually made the shape of a smile. Just at that moment the ground below disappeared as we flew over the edge of the canyon. - here comes that grimmace again! At 1 mile deep there was quite a crevace below. The views were ...

... late-afternoon. It is quite a dramatic change of scenery as the red dirt of monument valley is almost instantly replaced by green pastures and tree-covered mountains. Cortez is a very small, quiet, boring town so we were in for a quiet night. After a group dinner at a Mexican restaurant we raided Walmart for cowboy hats and shirts to wear to an event that Todd was planning for us in Texas.

... y est, c'en est tout autre. La route est étroite, et nous fait penser à une montagne russe. Ça vaut vraiment le détour. Avant d'arrêter notre parcours à Mexican Hat, on s'est payé une petite visite à Gooseneck State Park. Très beau visuel. Parlant de Gooseneck, notre motel (San Juan Inn) est situé juste en bordure de la même rivière.

... no bigger than a quarter. My dad said, "Yup, those are the ones you gotta watch for." The next day and a half we had a mellow paddle down the river without incident. We got to Mexican Hat (the half way point) by early afternoon of the 3rd day, where it was Allison and I's turn for food duty. We made some mean tuna fish sandwiches, unpacked the belongings of those who were not continuing on, and restocked on food, ice, and water. Myself, Allison, my dad, Adrian, and Tyler then ...