Desert Moon

This summer I took a trip to the Grand Canyon with my extended family and roommate. After hiking several miles through the desert and driving a few hundred miles, we found ourselves in Kayenta, AZ without a hotel; everything was booked. So, we found a phone book and called every hotel within 100 miles. Finally, we found an opening in Mexican Hat, UT. Between the two desert towns is Monument Valley. I was hoping we would go through there the next morning so I could get some photos and see it better in the daylight. But, we were all hot, sticky, and dirty, ready for a shower and soft bed. After sleeping on rocks and hammocks at the bottom of a crack in the earth, it was time for more civilized accomodations. The lady running the San Juan River Inn in Mexican Hat offered us her cottage, and we set off across the desolate highway. It sounded like the beginning of a murder mystery. My dad recently bought a truck with XM radio. Now he's into this station called "Visions" which is like Enya mixed with no beat techno. It was creepy. While the sun was setting the shadows and colors deepened, they blended into what looked like a Mars landing. The music Dad insisted on listening to made the atmosphere perfect for an alien abduction! The moon that night looked three times it's usual size and it reflected off the northern angles of the buttes and bluffs. When we finally got to the only hotel room available in the South West, I sat down by the San Juan River, waiting for the shower to become available, looking at the moon and thinking about the strange evening driving across a distant planet south of 'Bland'ing. I hope this piece reflects the mood and foreign surroundings of that night. It is 15 in x 15 in. Prints are available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2005