Monument Valley

On the way I there was such beauty that it broke my heart that everyone couldn't be with me experiencing all we were seeing. My bucket list now is reduced to just one item -- getting others to go where we've been. If I can be there with some of them, that would be sensational ... but more important is to know someone else will go there and continue to spread the word.

Below is a photo taken at the Natural Bridges National Park. In person the optical illusion is greater than in this photo. Do you see the bridge?

There were two driving incidents worth mentioning, I believe. Perhaps a young driver might find some value down the road from them.

First, going down one of the countless long straight stretches of a two lane highway in Utah, I saw a big white SUV with its left turn signal on peeking out behind a semi headed towards us. There was zero possibility for him to pass. I started to slow down anyway. Then amazingly he popped out anyway, practically sliding sideways across the highway into a little dirt pull off on our side of the road. There was no chance for me to stop in time. I had to swerve towards the other lane to miss the back of the SUV. I stayed as much as possible on my side of the highway.

Mike saw all of the above and reacted to it verbally.

What Mike did not see -- because he was focussed on the SUV -- was that a car behind the SUV also pulled out, apparently with the intention of passing the semi. He was three to four feet across the center line ... the very same center line that I was hugging. In that brief moment, he made no attempt to pull back onto his side of the road, so I had to swerve the other way so that we didn't catch each others front ends. It all worked out and nobody stopped. (Except the SUV in the dirt turnout.)

Mike knew something else had happened, but never saw that second car.

What I would like to point out especially is that a hard swerve to avoid one accident can lead to another (that almost happened on our last trip). And secondly just because one crazy person is on the road in front of you doesn't mean there isn't another right behind them. (Also, I suppose, I should mention that if I went all out on the brakes that wouldn't have turned out well.)

The other incident, Mike was driving. Yet another giant white SUV pulled out to pass on a similar stretch of highway. He only completed the pass because Mike broke hard (not slamming on the brakes) and went from 65 to 25 to allow the SUV to squeeze back into his lane to complete the pass. The point to this incident is that such long stretches of road can fool the eye about how much distance and time you have to pass. It is more tricky than one might think. I try to allow twice as far as I think I need and I add a little buffer to that.

Thankfully this is how the day ended in Mexican Hat on the Utah/Arizona border and on the banks of the muddy San Juan River. (Mike's photo.)