1 Aug 2023 - Kayenta AZ, Navajo Code Talker Exhibit, Goosenecks State Park

 

We had a busy day starting with an 0900 hrs appointment for our windshield rock chip repair in Kayenta AZ, about 20 miles south of our campground. The drive down was beautiful, in a special way.  The multicolored red rock formations are amazing and then there is the red 'soil' that makes up this entire area.  It is so fine, so powdery that it gets into everything and everywhere!  Y'all are going to get sick of my rock pictures before we get home!!

A shot from our campground.  The view just never gets old!

These pictures are from the trip to Kayenta this morning.  

Just outside Kayenta is the Kayenta Solar Plant, "the Nation's first Tribally built, owned and operated solar facility".  This solar array produces 55 megawatts of renewable and sustainable electricity!  It is massive!

The Draper Glass Company is Navajo owned and operated, and the people could not have been nicer.  They started on our truck as soon as we pulled in and in about 35 minutes they were done.  It is better than before, but this chip is still very visible.  Unfortunately it is right in Doreen's line of sight.  The intent of the chip repair is to try and keep from a crack developing that spreads.  Hopefully it will work as I really don't want to replace the windshield.

From there we drove a few blocks to the local Burger King which is where the Navajo Code Talkers Exhibit is located.  The location is surely mutually beneficial.  Get a burger and look over the exhibits!  

I was fortunate to have served with Col Lawrence Yazzie in the Iowa Air National Guard.  Col Yazzie, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, now serves as the National Guard Bureau's director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion effective  October 2022. After I became Command Chief, Maj Yazzie became the 132d Communications Flight commander and later the 168th Cyberspace Squadron Commander.  He is Comanche (Antelope Clan) and born for the Navajo (Bitter Water Clan). His grandmother is Meskwaki (Bear Clan). His grandfather is Navajo (Many Goats Clan). He was from Tuba City, Arizona, which is located on the Navajo Reservation. His grandfather was a Navajo Code Talker during World War II.  I have so much respect for Col Yazzie and his people.  Truly great Americans.  

Lt Col Yazzie and me at his promotion ceremony 16 Jan 2015.

The Navajo Code Talker displays were very informative and very well done.  They have many artifacts from World War II to go along with the photos and documents.  Some photos:

We were thankful to have had the opportunity to see the exhibits and learn more about the Navajo Code Talkers.

Outside between the Burger King and the Hampton Inn is the Navajo Shadehouse Museum.  This is an outdoor display designed to resemble an authentic shadehouse, which are wood-framed structures used to shelter sheepherders from the sun. The museum has displays that explain the beliefs and traditions of the Navajo people.  Also included are wagons, hogans, sweat houses and sheep corrals. No photographs were allowed inside the museum.

 

The Shadehouse Museum and Gift Shop

Doreen's shirt she bought at the Shadehouse

An authentic forkstick Hogan

A Sweat Lodge, used to bath and cleanse

Sheep Corral

We finished up our tour of the Shadehouse Museum area and headed next door to a grocery store to replenish a few items before we move on in a couple days.  They had a good selection and the prices were high, but not unreasonable.  One thing that caught my eye was the pallet of flour.  They obviously sell a lot of flour here!!

We headed back to the campground for lunch and take a break for a bit and then we headed out back northeast towards Mexican Hat.  Ultimately we drove to the Goosenecks State Park to visit the beautiful overlook there.  

As we approached the town of Mexican Hat, we crossed the San Juan River over the S.O.C. (SEAL) Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge.  The bridge was renamed after Workman who was a member of SEAL Team Six and along with 37 others, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011 when when a Chinook helicopter transporting Seal Team Six was shot down on its way to aid in an intense firefight, in the war in Afghanistan.  Workman's remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was age 32, and had a wife and a son.  Salute.

So the bridge crossed the San Juan River, the same river that meanders through the Goosenecks State Park, 1100 ft below the overlook we were approaching!  The gorge, created by millions of years of water carving it's way through here.  For the visitors, $5 gets you through the gate and then the overlook allows you to walk right up to the edge.  There are hand rails in a couple places, but the other areas are completely open.  The view is absolutely awesome!!  1100 ft straight down!

A future statistic

We headed back towards the campground and stopped at a few of the overlooks for better pictures than we were able to take the day we arrived and drove through here.

 

The Mexican Hat 

The sign near mile post 13 identifying the movie location 

for the Forrest Gump running scene

Crowds of people along the side of the highway 

getting pictures of the site

Further down the road we captured a few more pictures of the rock formations that define 'Monument Valley'. Incredible!

Before heading back to the campground we drove through the Goulding's complex. 

Yeeouch!!  $4.849 for diesel.  

As explained before, this is a conglomeration of businesses, schools, etc all with the name 'Goulding'.  We are going to visit his museum tomorrow to learn more about this.

On the way back, we had to strop along side of the road at a pull-off for this unique opportunity!

And finally, a gorgeous sunset as we conversed with our camping neighbors from the Netherlands.  The husband, wife and three children are in the United States for four weeks in a rented RV touring the southwest and western states!

A slight rainbow

Good night everyone!