How did I end up driving almost 400 miles yesterday? Simple: once you enter the big 'rez' in northeastern Arizona, you are almost committed to driving all the way through it. US-191 almost made me seasick.
I thought I would stay just north of the San Juan River and enjoy looking at a distant view of Monument Valley. But rain was predicted and the highway sign said "Roads Impassable When Wet". And in Utah, when they say that, they mean it. So I fled.
Long-suffering readers will probably see right through me. They suspect the 'wet road' excuse is just a cover for the real reason: anti-tourist snobbery. But actually I am not anti-tourist. I just can't get into the mood I want to be in, when surrounded by lots of scenery tourists. Frustration, then, causes me to lash out at tourists, more than I should.
Anyway, I drove toward higher altitudes and a more practical supply town. I was still looking for camping near sunset when I threw the tourist playbook out the window, grabbed my Benchmark Atlas, and went looking for flattish sagebrush on regular BLM land.
I found it. It turned out to be flat, quiet, and completely overlooked by the tourist masses. The rain didn't really happen except for the fresh snow in the mountains.
In the morning, the Little Cute One and I went for a romp in the sagebrush and grass. She doesn't get off-leash as much as she wants, but here she did. There were no nagging rangers, no motorhead traffic, no snakes or bears. All I had to do was keep her in sight, because of coyotes. She ran around like a maniac. The joy of youth, health, and unbounded freedom!
Rather than take one more postcard of Monument Valley, it would be better for a photographer to try to capture the crazed look of a dog running off-leash.
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| Coffee Girl and her friend, Gabbie, on their morning rampage, 10 years ago. Notice that the carabiner on the end of the red leash is in focus, but the dogs were too fast for the shutter. |
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