Riding in the Shadow of Giants: Monument Valley by Motorcycle
Riding through Monument Valley becomes an exercise in kickstand use. Photos by the author.
There I was?three hours into a wonderful ride that I had made many times over the years. The quickest route from my home near Flagstaff, Arizona, to the mountains of Colorado bissects the vast and beautiful Navajo Nation Reservation of the Four Corners region. My familiarity with U.S. Route 160, combined with light traffic and forever views, tricked me into speeds that were a bit north of the posted limit. Intermittent roadside native jewelry stands, cattle and Navajo hogans dotted the roadside. There was no practical reason to leave U.S. 160, which leads deep into Colorado via a very direct path.
Practicality be damned. There is something inherent in motorcycling that reinforces the notion that it?s not just about ?getting there.? That?s exactly why, instead of riding straight through the reservation town of Kayenta, Arizona, I would be taking a northern turn into the Monument Valley region. It was a road I had never ridden, leading into a region I had never seen?an enticing combination to any motorcyclist. A cow stands guard in a highway underpass on the Navajo Nation Reservation south of Monument Valley.
My tour planning would not usually include a stop at a chain fast food restaurant, but the Kayenta Burger King is anything but usual. It contains a small but striking tribute to the Navajo Code Talkers, who used their native language in a vital service to the WWII war effort. After...
-------------------------------- |
|
May is Motorcycle Awareness Month
07-05-2024 08:33 - (
motorcycle )