{"id":5068,"date":"2023-07-04T18:01:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T22:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/?p=5068"},"modified":"2023-07-05T05:48:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T09:48:53","slug":"tse%e2%80%b2-bii-ndzisgaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/excellent\/tse%e2%80%b2-bii-ndzisgaii\/","title":{"rendered":"Tse\u2032 Bii’ Ndzisgaii"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I had the occasion to hear two Navajo women talking at the local gift shop. I wanted to listen to them all day; their language is so beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tse\u2032 Bii’ Ndzisgaii is the name of this area in the native tongue of the native people. The highway that runs through Monument Valley is called Navajo Code Talker Highway. They take pride in this unique contribution to the country that tried to break their spirit through cultural assimilation. A ‘fuck you,’ but in a dignified way. I like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leading group of monuments sits in the Navajo Tribal Park, but they are everywhere in the broad plain across southeastern Utah. The elevation here is one mile. There are three formations: the Mesa, which looks like a tabletop; the Butte, which is smaller and more eroded; and the Spire which is the last stage as the rock becomes narrow and freestanding. They range in height from 500 to 1,500 feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Butte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mesa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When you get near their base, you can find boulders as big as a bus, rocks seemingly placed by some massive being in random places. Spires that look like they could topple over in a bad windstorm. Can you imagine seeing one fall?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Valley Of The Gods iPhone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You can stay in lodging on the park run by the Navajo or in a lodge in an area famous for its role in the Westerns of the 1940s through 1960s. John Ford and John Wayne are big names here. The memorabilia is fascinating and runs through relatively modern times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The RV Park was just on the northern outskirts of the tribal park. The views were fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The camp host was a native. Although she could not speak Navajo, she knew the tribal names of her people. She is petitioning the tribal government for her own chunk of land, which is her right. She told me they had to stick a large pipe in the Mexican Hat Rock to keep it from falling off! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On this first day, we got up early and watched the sunrise on the monuments. Breathtaking!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Monument Valley Sunrise – The Dude \ud83d\ude0e<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Monument Valley Sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We then toured Tribal Park. Eight bucks get you in with your car. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Monument Valley Loopp Drive. It costs $8 to drive the loop yourself. Otherwise, there are dozens of tour guides with converted pickup trucks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Monument Valley Loop Drive – Mitchell Mesa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Starship Excellent Adventure navigated the relatively smooth dirt, rock, and gravel rock. They must keep the road up because I saw a fleet of about 25 converted pickup trucks that will take those without the right car or guts to drive it themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All the formations have names. Like cats, though, they have the name someone gives them and their real names. <\/p>\n\n\n\n