Ever since I watched a movie called The Eiger Sanction, I have been in awe of Monument Valley. I am not a climber myself but I love the incredible rock formations. Robert and I decided to take a last minute road trip to Monument Valley and it was so much better than I expected.
We left at 2:00 am to make the 5 ½ hour drive in time for sunrise. We knew it would be cold so we dressed in warm clothes and loaded the car with snacks and water. Although our entire drive was in the dark I could see snow glistening the moonlight on the sides of the road as we got closer to our destination. I knew then that it was going to be a lot colder than we thought it would be.
As we drove closer to the entrance of Monument Valley the predawn sky was beginning to change colors. There was still about 30 minutes until the visitor center booth was open so we took our time driving down the roads surrounding the valley. We pulled over so that I could take some photos and when I stepped outside and it was only 13 degrees. The wind chill factor must have brought that temperature down even further because the wind felt as if it was cutting through the exposed skin on my face. I had to keep getting back inside of the car every few minutes and then jumping back out as we drove to different vantage points to take photos.
After sunrise we drove to the entrance and paid the $20 entry fee. The visitor center and hotel was located across the parking lot from the entrance. We parked the car and headed into the restaurant to buy some hot beverages and warm up. There was a really nice gift shop and restaurant inside with panoramic windows that wrapped around the outside of the building. There was also a walkway just outside with amazing views.After ordering out hot drinks we ran back to the car and drove to the beginning of the Valley Drive. The entire road was unpaved but it wasn’t as primitive as I thought it would be.
Around the first turn we could see the iconic Sentinel Mesa and West Mitten Butte. The scene really is amazing and it takes your breath away. We spent a lot of time at each formation just looking at them and being in the moment. It felt like sacred ground. There were a few other vehicles on the road that passed by but other than that we didn’t see any other people. That actually made our experience so enjoyable. We didn’t have a large crowd of people with a lot of noise around us. It was quite peaceful and relaxing.
It was after viewing the Three Sisters that we seemed to break away from all of the other people and it felt like we had the Valley all to our selves. We slowly made our way to the Rain God Mesa and then our experience became more memorable.
We were looking at the mesa and I stepped outside to take some photos. I was standing there for a moment and then 3 dogs appeared. They didn’t bark, they didn’t approach aggressively in fact they didn’t make a sound. I wasn’t sure what to think about it so I got back into the car. We drove on and we could see the 3 dogs following us but not making a sound.
After we drove far enough that the dogs were out of sight we stopped again and I took a few photos. Again the 3 dogs were there so we drove further. We looked around and the dogs were gone so we decided to stop again. I got out of the car and took some photos and then one of the dogs appeared out of nowhere. The other two dogs were gone. It was surprising to see this dog just show up because he wasn’t on the road behind us following the car. He was nowhere to be found and then suddenly here he was. I got back in the car and once again we drove a little further.
We pulled over to take photos but this time I didn't get out of the car. I got into the back seat an opened the window and Robert opened his window as well. The dog walked over and sat down right outside of my window and wouldn't take his eyes off of me. His eyes were a yellow brown color and the place above his eyes where a person’s eyebrows would be, he moved his up and down almost like he was speaking to me. It was really a strange experience.
After that we drove on and pulled over by a tree with snow on the ground. This was the last time the dog appeared to us. I didn’t get out of the car this time either. Again I just took photos from the back seat with the windows down. The dog sat next to the car while I took photos. When I finished we drove on. I looked back and didn’t see him in the rear view mirror anymore.
We drove for a while before stopping to take more photos. I kept looking for the dog but we never saw him again. Robert and I didn't speak about it the dog the whole time this was happening. It wasn't until we started to drive home that we spoke about the dog. We were about an hour into the drive home when Robert asked me if I saw the dog’s eyes. I said yes I did, they were a yellow brown color. Robert said yes but his eyebrow area, it moved and he was looking at you like he was asking you if you remembered him.
When he said that I got goose bumps on my skin because I was thinking the same thing. We talked about how the 3 dogs never made a sound and about how they never barked and they weren’t aggressive. We also talked about and how the 1 dog that followed us the longest looked at me like he knew me. We have talked about it many times since then and we have many theories about it. I’ll keep those to myself!
This was definitely an experience I won’t forget and I am grateful that we were able to go. Monument Valley is located in a very special area along the Arizona/Nevada border. If you go, please respect the land and people.
