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We spend another two weeks in Palm Springs.
That's the opportunity of spending a few good evenings with the friends we met on our last stay here.
We also spend an evening with Yumie and François, back from France and on their way to San Francisco.
We play golf. Christophe enjoys his brand new driver and improves his game !
On our last day we clean the camper and prepare our luggage for our trip to Hawaï.
That's the D-day...It's time to pick up our rented car and drive our camper to the storage.
Good surprise. Promotion time ; 1$ for the first month.
We only pay 26 $ for our storage.
We leave Palm Springs and join our hotel at Los Ageles airport.
We finish our tour we the " Petrified Forest " which is the largest are the world.
The trees we have in front of us really look like wood.
But it's stone !!!
The dead trees have been buried under a thick layer of sediments and their structures has been modified by water very rich in silica, which took place of the fibers.
Because of the freezing temperatures we have every day, we decide to go back to Palm Springs before leaving to Hawaï.
Next step in our tour is " Gooseneck National Park ".
The unique point of interest is a superb overlook over the meandres of the " San Juan River "
In the background you appears " Monument Valley ".
As we couldn't drive on the Valley Drive, we go to the " Valley of the God ", smaller, quieter, but as beautiful as its neighbour.
We take a 17 miles lane, sometimes hardly passable with the camper, but through a breathtaking scenery.
There are no tourists and we feel like pioneers.
After a very cold night in an empty campgroud, we visit the " Canyon of Chelly ".
Two 30 km long an 1 km wide faults have been hollowed out in an chre plateau.
We take the south rim with its seven overlooks. (needle, pueblos, ancient village ruins and modern farms in the botten of the canyon).
A two hours treck leads us to the ruins of an indian village dating from 1 000 to 1 300.
We then leave the Navajo reserve to go to the " Painted Desert ".
Pastel colours seem to have been used to paint the scenery.
In the heart of the Colorado Plateau, stands the " Navojo Country " on a land larger than Switzerlandand and at the borer of three states (Arizon, Utah and New Mexico).
This huge reservation hosts the largest indian tribe of the United States of America, estimed at 250 000 inhabitants.
At the origin, the semi-nomad warriors Navajo indians arrived quite late during the XVth century from Canada.
We start our visit of this territory with the " Navajo National Monument "
A one hour treck gives us the opportunity to get close to the ruins of a village, once inhabited by the " Anasazies " civilization (that we got to know in " Mesa Verde ".
Then, the grandiose scenery of the " Monument Valley " welcomes us for the afternoon.
The beauty of this site exceeded our expectations and the image we had of it through the " Western " we watched on TV when we were young.
Although we paid an entrance fee of 20 USD, the valley drive is forbidden to the campers. The lane snakes through the valley and takes you close to the geolical formations.
The bivouac at " Mexican Hat " compensates for our frustation.
ROAD BOOK 029
MAVROS ODYSSEE