Saturday, April 01, 2006

Mokee Dugway? Never Heard of Him!


TUBA CITY, AZ--We have been gone a week. I haven't had a chance to post since Day One. But what a trip! We went through Monument Valley, which I am sure you all have seen so many times in those John Ford movies that I am not going to put up a picture of it myself. Let me just say that of all the wonderous things we saw on this adventure, this is my personal favorite.

But what about Mokee Dugway? Sounds like a point guard from the Atlanta Hawks. But no...the Mokee Dugway is a road...sort of. You can see Monument Valley from the top of Mokee Dugway. There was a curious little white spot on one

of our maps right where Utah 261 goes. That is Mokee Dugway. It is a gravel thrill show all by itself. Let me quote another traveler:

Moki Dugway (Mokee Dugway)

About 6 miles north of Mexican Hat on Hwy 261, there is a 1100 ft drop, the top 2/3rds of the switch back road is unpaved, recommended speed is 5 mph, if you go faster the car starts juddering and you lose control, RV's not recommended. From the top of Moki Dugway you can see Valley of the gods and you can see Monument Valley in the distance this makes it worthwhile. I have done this three times now in a hire car, best to keep to the 5 mph speed limit.


Actually I thought the biggest danger was from drivers coming the opposite way. They absolutely refused to get on their own side of the road...although they did generally come to a complete stop to let you pass.

We are currently in Tuba City. We spent the night here at the Quality Inn for about $70 (AARP, off-season). There is a restaurant that is part of this complex: The Tuba City Trading Post. When we get back I am going to eat healthier. Meanwhile, I am going to decide between fry bread and biscuits and gravy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mokee Dugway. What an incredible place. After you negotiate the hairpin gravel switchbacks, you can stop for breath and a view on top. You look waaaay down, directly at the desert floor below, with one lone ribbon of road stretching out toward the river. You can see the goosenecks of the San Juan from up top too, carved deep into the desert layers, with a slash of muddy water visible at some of the turns.

It's hard to describe the vastness of that place. You gotta go there.