21:30 Mountain shapers.northward.abacus
The trip from Tusayan to Kayenta is only a couple of hours through the Grand Canyon National Park and onto 160 E Should have been smooth sailing.
A note to the unwary, wifi coverage out here isn’t good. Heading down the 160 with a bit over 30 miles to go Kate tells me to turn right onto a sealed minor road. Dubious but naif enough to go along with it. The surface becomes unsealed and jinks regularly. Becomes huge wide dirt roads with big signs about mining equipment. Vehicle guidance systems reckon it’s too rough and slippery for them to function. After about 10miles I am resigned to a technical stuff-up but I have no coverage. So I need to navigate my way back to 160 by dead reckoning.
Turns out that 1000 Main Road is the address of my hotel and the (now closed) Peabody Energy Company’s Kayenta Coal mine site office.
Plenty of time after the slightly delayed arrival for a bit of a veg out before the next event, even with the change of time zone. I’m booked on a 5pm sunset tour of Monument Valley, which Kate gets me to without a problem. The valley is as monumental as the promotions. The tour is a recap of every picture postcard of the valley from East and West Mitten to Forest Gump point … except that it’s hot, glare factor is high and a nasty little wind kicking up a very fine loam dust storm. Hint for any followers. Try winter and morning tours by preference. Was very curious that, despite getting just 7inches of precipitation, all the dwelling in and around the park lack guttering and water tanks. Would have thought that was obligatory.
But then on the way back with the sun setting about 8:30pm I can’t get coverage from The View hotel. So I head back to town and did at least two laps of Diversion Dam Road before blundering into the 163 and the safety of my hotel.
Have looked at @Sage_Rat 's suggestion and will try to complete the diversion after Four Corners to include more of Colorado, specifically Telluride, Durango then on to Albuquerque.