Monument Valley

At the end of our quarantine we decided to climb a mountain that we had been looking at for over a month. We left for a simple walk and after 4.5 hours came back as a heroes. Turns out it was the highest point in Flagstaff. All I can say is that there was no more exercising for a week after the hike.

Finally, we have started moving again. Since most of the Indian reservations are closed for visitors, we gave up on the idea of visiting Navajo jewelry stands and headed straight towards Utah's Monument Valley. Yes, it is the place where Forest Gump ended his three year run. And yes, we watched the movie again!

Besides all the happy feelings of being on the road again and exploring, I get disappointed whenever we face closed roads and trails. The travel season has started and it will not last forever. And it is very likely we will not come back again to enjoy spring at the places we pass.

So my biggest discovery nowadays is to accept things how they are and be OK with that.

I am a person who tends to paint things nicer than they are, tell stories for longer than they have to be. It is a theatrical approach to life. When you dance and you want to portray a jump, it should be a three times bigger jump than in real life. A performer exaggerates things to make them look real on stage. Unfortunately, the same approach is sometimes applied to sad things in life too. I get really disappointed by closed roads and trails. I make myself even sadder while on the way home imagining what I have missed.

So I decided to change my attitude since I can not change the situation. If a road is closed, I have just seen how the closed road looks like. I see what needs to be seen at the moment. When I thought more about it, it is quite unique to see different states and their different attitudes during these times. And maybe I will not be an expert on all the hikes and peaks in the state, but I will know what kind of mindset people have here.

So while we are adapting to the new travel circumstances, you can still enjoy shots we captured on the road.