USA (March to April)
Part 15 - Monument Valley
As we lay on our backs in the red earth squinting up at the bent muffler of Lorenz’ shiny Ford F250 V8 truck, trying to bench press it back into its holdings, I (unduly) worried that this was not the most auspicious start to our few weeks at Moonlight Springs Ranch.
Four cans of meat, one bale of hay, two slices of hay and the rest of the second bale - for the three dogs, 30 odd sheep and goats, two cows and 20 horses respectively each morning and evening; and top up the water troughs every other day - these were our instructions for taking care of the animals. This being the Navajo Reservation, and Moonlight Springs being eight glorious miles by dirt track from the nearest ‘civilisation’, this responsibility required a weekly Tuesday meet with the hay truck and a drive to the water hose every day or two to fill the 450-gallon tank on the back of the truck.
As we lay on our backs in the red earth squinting up at the bent muffler of Lorenz’ shiny Ford F250 V8 truck, trying to bench press it back into its holdings, I (unduly) worried that this was not the most auspicious start to our few weeks at Moonlight Springs Ranch.
Four cans of meat, one bale of hay, two slices of hay and the rest of the second bale - for the three dogs, 30 odd sheep and goats, two cows and 20 horses respectively each morning and evening; and top up the water troughs every other day - these were our instructions for taking care of the animals. This being the Navajo Reservation, and Moonlight Springs being eight glorious miles by dirt track from the nearest ‘civilisation’, this responsibility required a weekly Tuesday meet with the hay truck and a drive to the water hose every day or two to fill the 450-gallon tank on the back of the truck.
Hauling water
Water for the Octagon (a modern, timber, take on the traditional Hogan) is hauled in a slightly smaller tank on a trailer attached to the back of the truck. On the first day that Andy set off to fill both tanks, the trailer hooked up to the back of the Ford, he took a wrong turn on his way back to the ranch. An easy mistake to make, this being his first drive back and what with the dirt tracks all looking quite similar at first. It’s not easy to reverse and turn a truck, with trailer, and tanks full of water. All was well until an ill-fitting tyre slipped from a rim thus jack-knifing the trailer 90 degrees into the back of the truck. The muffler, now bent right out of shape, hung down in the dirt. Having eventually made it back to the ranch, Lorenz said he’d sort the trailer out and Andy could just fix the muffler. OK, so with no mechanical knowledge, we’ll just fix the muffler on a beast of a truck … and that is how we came to be lying in the earth looking up at the bottom of the truck, just after the muffler had escaped it’s hold and smacked poor Andy in the face, busting his cheek which still bears the scars and an egg-shaped lump.
The sheep coral
Not only are we now master truck fixers, but boy can we wrangle a goat or two! Andy and Amy went out to straighten the Moonlight Springs sign one morning and discovered six adult goats with three kids outside the coral. Not sure if they were strays or escaped from our flock, we rounded them up into the coral. It transpired the neighbours had lost their stock and so we kept them in the coral until they came to fetch them that evening. Separating them from our herd and getting them back out the coral was not quite as simple and involved a lot of running around and some superb dives to catch them. Andy ran (fast!), he swerved, he dove (through hay and sheep poo), he grabbed (at horn, fleece and leg), he stopped occasionally to gasp for air, he repeated the process many times and eventually he caught most of the goats, with herding help and whoops of encouragement from me and the girls. The fact that we could identify the right goats from the rest was quite an achievement. The neighbour came by later and shepherded his livestock back to the rightful land. Those goats clearly took a shine to us, as they turned up again a week later, and the process was repeated.
Cowgirl
For those few blissful weeks, we immersed ourselves in ranch life. Each day we would wake to the sun lighting up the red rocks, the last of the winter snow glistening on the mesas. Days were spent roving the land on the quad bike, tending to the animals, fixing up wind battered corals, hauling water and chopping wood for the log burner to keep us toasty at night, and just sighing over how beautiful it all is. There is nothing quite like a steak cookout with the full moon rising in the east as the sun sets, casting its pink glow in the west; or greeting the dawn after a night in the hogan watching the fire dance across the wooden roof and the stars twinkle through the open skylight; or meeting a new born colt or baby goat. Amy spent hours just being with the animals and exploring the land while Holly would often be found playing in the sand under the shade of a tree or curled up (barefoot, naturally) under a truck with Rocco, Candy and Birch, the sheepdogs.
After so many months of travel and motels, the freedom that Moonlight Springs afforded Holly Houdini to run around at will staved off the destruction of our fragile sanity. She who has long been escaping from her own nappy and wriggling out of her shoes, no matter how tightly done up, has attained new heights in escapology. A mere glimmer of light beneath a motel room door will attract her like a moth to a flame and within milliseconds she will be out through that door and running down the corridor in a fit of mirth, causing untold stress and unwanted exercise. She has learnt how to escape from her buggy, despite the straps being pulled as tight as possible, and it is not uncommon to find ourselves in a store pushing an empty buggy while one small child giggles beneath a formerly neat shelf of goods. A sorry development, this strap failure, the buggy having been our only means of toddler containment when dining out. And now she can escape from her car seat. I have sat with needle and thread and sewn extra restraints to the seat straps but she studies the knot and tries to undo it. It will only be a matter of time before she figures out a double bow and contorts herself free mid drive. Imagine her glee to spend endless days riding around the reservation unrestrained on foot, quad bike and truck.
After so many months of travel and motels, the freedom that Moonlight Springs afforded Holly Houdini to run around at will staved off the destruction of our fragile sanity. She who has long been escaping from her own nappy and wriggling out of her shoes, no matter how tightly done up, has attained new heights in escapology. A mere glimmer of light beneath a motel room door will attract her like a moth to a flame and within milliseconds she will be out through that door and running down the corridor in a fit of mirth, causing untold stress and unwanted exercise. She has learnt how to escape from her buggy, despite the straps being pulled as tight as possible, and it is not uncommon to find ourselves in a store pushing an empty buggy while one small child giggles beneath a formerly neat shelf of goods. A sorry development, this strap failure, the buggy having been our only means of toddler containment when dining out. And now she can escape from her car seat. I have sat with needle and thread and sewn extra restraints to the seat straps but she studies the knot and tries to undo it. It will only be a matter of time before she figures out a double bow and contorts herself free mid drive. Imagine her glee to spend endless days riding around the reservation unrestrained on foot, quad bike and truck.
The Hogan
Moonlight Springs is an incredibly special place and we were so lucky to have been invited to end our journey there. We first met Barbara and Lorenz on a trip to Monument Valley when Amy was around 5 years old. Sitting in the restaurant at Gouldings, Barb bought over a picture that Lorenz had sketched for Amy, of a wild mustang rearing up in front of the mittens, entitled Wild Spirit. She explained that Lorenz – a third generation medicine man - saw something special in Amy and wanted to give her the picture. We got chatting, and became friends over several subsequent trips to Arizona. They are wonderful people.
Our journey to Navajo lands took us via a tour of our old stomping grounds in California. One decade ago, almost to the day, it all began in Cali with a kiss in the kitchen of an apartment in Santa Clara. Six months later we were married. Despite countless visits back to the Bay Area for both of us, this was the first time in 10 years that we had returned together. Obviously, we were obliged to take the girls on a trip down memory lane!
Our journey to Navajo lands took us via a tour of our old stomping grounds in California. One decade ago, almost to the day, it all began in Cali with a kiss in the kitchen of an apartment in Santa Clara. Six months later we were married. Despite countless visits back to the Bay Area for both of us, this was the first time in 10 years that we had returned together. Obviously, we were obliged to take the girls on a trip down memory lane!
Amy & Lorenz
Cruising beneath blue skies to the soundtrack of 107.7 ‘The Bone’, a great classic rock radio station, we showed the girls the real sights of Cali: the old apartment in Santa Clara where many a long island iced tea was consumed after work; the Techmark building where Zeus had its office; the 7-Eleven pay phone where Andy would make calls to me back in the UK; Half Moon Bay where Andy first declared his love; really exciting places for a kid to visit!
And now we are on very familiar ground in Scottsdale, enjoying the sunshine, the swimming pool and the desert in bloom; getting our fill of hot wings and kitting out the kids with a few clothes that fit and don’t have straw or holes in them (Amy has grown 4 and a half centimetres since we left the UK). It is our home from home, so a perfect place to readjust for the transition back to ‘normal life’. Over a month since my last update, we are now on the homeward stretch. All that remains is a visit to see the Mouse in LA and then we shall be taking our last flight of the journey back to the UK. We have all had an incredible adventure. My wanderlust is sated for now, but travel and adventure will always be in my blood; and apathy has no place in the realisation of dreams so it’s time to get back, get jobs and start saving for the next adventure.
And now we are on very familiar ground in Scottsdale, enjoying the sunshine, the swimming pool and the desert in bloom; getting our fill of hot wings and kitting out the kids with a few clothes that fit and don’t have straw or holes in them (Amy has grown 4 and a half centimetres since we left the UK). It is our home from home, so a perfect place to readjust for the transition back to ‘normal life’. Over a month since my last update, we are now on the homeward stretch. All that remains is a visit to see the Mouse in LA and then we shall be taking our last flight of the journey back to the UK. We have all had an incredible adventure. My wanderlust is sated for now, but travel and adventure will always be in my blood; and apathy has no place in the realisation of dreams so it’s time to get back, get jobs and start saving for the next adventure.
