Had a fabulous weekend in Monument Valley last weekend. We drove over in the Taco, which is not a great freeway cruiser . .. the seats are not up to the task. Getting that addressed with upgraded padding!
It took 9 hours to travel from Parker to the Lodge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulding's_Lodge
We stayed in one of their "cabins". They are actually factory built small houses. Two bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and a great deck with a view out front. And since the next "room" is 20 feet away, real privacy.
We had dinner and breakfast at the lodge dining room. Great experience. Beautiful views with the food. The Goulding's are almost single handedly responsible for creating Monument Valley as a destination park.
https://gouldings.com/history/
Harry was a veteran of the Great War. An Army engineer who was wounded he came home to Durango, got married to "Mike" and they made their way to Monument Valley in the early 1920s. They set up a tent and established a trading post for the locals, who were mostly Navajo. Over the years, they built a brick trading post with their small apartment on the second floor. This building is now the museum and well worth the time.
While they were still living in canvas and barely eking out a living, they read about John Ford and his plan to make western movies. They had a photographer friend take pictures of various areas in the Valley and traveled to Hollywood. They eventually got to show the pictures to John Ford who eventually used Monument Valley for many John Wayne westerns. Stage Coach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the Searchers . .. these movies put Monument Valley on the map and lead to it becoming a destination for thousands of happy people each year.