Published Date: 2021 November 10th

Intro

I've always been fascinated by remote landscapes. In my mind, I felt like the more remote the location and the more isolated from the modern world you are, the closer you are to witnessing the true beauty of untouched nature.

Earlier this year, I was feeling a little burnt out from my job and knew I needed a break. There was a lot on my mind and I wanted to make a tiny escape from screens and crowded cities.

Going to the desert has been on my mind for a couple years by now, but the timing just never really made sense, neither did I have a specific destination in mind. Without a whole lot of planning, I just decided to spend a week in Arizona, I was lucky to find an Airbnb that's hosted by a family of Navajo natives that is right at the border of Navajo Nation Reservation, and right next to Monument Valley.

I thought it would be a really cool experience to live along side Navajo Natives and experience life is like for them, not to mention, I'll be able to see Monument Valley and its surrounding areas up close. Without hesitation, I booked the place and began my very first adventure into the Arizona desert.

First thing I learned in Arizona

After picking up my car from Pheonix, I started driving towards my first destination, Flagstaff. I planned to stay there for a few days and drive by and check out the huge Meteor Crater near there before I head to Monument Valley.

The trip almost didn't feel 'real' until I started driving, it's been a long time since I went on a trip on my own, and the last time was just a short weekend trip to Ottawa from Toronto. The reality of the trip started setting in a bit, I'm navigating a new environment with no one to really rely on but myself, I think I took for granted on a road trip, how strangely comforting it is, just having someone in the passenger seat with you, knowing you'll have at least some support with any trouble you encounter.

I was starting to question my decision of this trip a little bit. What if I get into an accident? What if I miss a turn in Google maps and get lost?? What if a deer runs in front of me and theres nobody to warn me??? Maybe I should've thought about this before booking everything... well it's too late to turn back now and I thought I might as well embrace it.

As time went by, and I didn't get into an accident yet, didn't miss any turns yet and I realized that there's probably no deer in Arizona, I started to feel a little less intimidated and started to actually enjoy the drive. I was so invested in my fake little scenarios that I didn't even pay attention to how different everything is to what I'm used to. The land is flat, the sand is red, and the cacti on the side of the road look like little dancing figures in the sunset. I dug up some old songs from Spotify that I haven't heard in a while and started singing along in my car, maybe I wasn't wrong about this trip after all.

• Solo trips can be fun too, if you allow it to be.

Second thing I learned in Arizona

After I spent some time in Flagstaff, my next stop was Monument Valley! As I ventured deeper into the desert, the roads had less and less turns, the highway turned from multi-land to only two lanes, and the land around me seemed to flatten out towards the horizon. For as far as my eye could see, the land was just red sand and rocks, the vastness of the desert really started to settle in. There were mountains that were further away, almost fading away in the horizon, yet when I eventually drove through the mountains, what I saw on the other side was just miles and miles of red sand again, with another set of mountains, fading away on the horizon.

I stopped by a viewpoint on one of these mountains that was overseeing an entire valley, I was the only car that stopped there and the roads behind and ahead of me were all empty. All I could hear was the soft desert wind blowing in my ear, I sat down for a moment in awe of what I'm seeing, emptiness for as far as eye can see.

Maybe the old playlists I was listening to brought out some nostalgia in me, but I felt a strange sense of melancholy, I felt so connected to what I'm seeing, yet it couldn't be more clear that I don't belong in this landscape.

• It's really not our world, we're just living in it.

Third thing I learned in Arizona

After a couple days spent hiking through desert terrains, staying in a Hogan at night with no running water or heating, and learning about Native cultures and history, I learned to appreciate what I seen even more, the history and the people living in Monument Valley adds a layer of special meaning to the already magnificant scenary.

I was a little tired and quite frankly a little homesick. I loved every second I spent there, but being completely alone while trekking through deserted land has ran its course for me. I knew it was time for me to head back.

I made one last stop in Sedona, Arizona, while doing a hike in the moutains there, I had a conversation with a fellow freindly Sedonian that lived there his whole life. He said he would come hike here every weekend, when learned that I came all the way from Canada, he said he always wanted to go but never had the chance yet, it must be really different from what he's used to.

I hope if he were to ever visit Banff or Jasper, he would feel similar to how I felt when I first saw Monument Valley.

• I think traveling isn't just about appreciation of the views, it adds a different perspective, on nature, and on life.