4 Corners Tracks of the StoneBear Ring Of Fire

4 Corners Kayenta, AZ

September '08

You never drink twice from the same stream.

4 Corners Navajo "Code Talkers" USMC

Kayenta, AZ Monument Valley Navajo Nation

Burger King Kayenta, AZ

I don't do commercials. I've avoided even doing the ads thing on this blog / website ect...

But the Burger King restaurant in Kayenta, Arizona deserves a special notation here.

After a day driving through the desert to see Monument Valley... it's taken a lifetime to get here to see this... gonna grab a bite to eat 'cause we're running late as always. So spot a Burger King ... let's chow down, get a good nights sleep,.... be rested tomorrow 'cause I don't want to miss anything in Monument Valley. I'm excited already just getting here.

And we walk into a Burger King... and I am blown away. Absolutely ... blown... away.

Let me sidetrack here. My family is a Marine family. Dad was a WWII Marine, I'm about the last Marine out of the Viet Nam era '71 to '73, Son Lee was in weapons company 2/9... then 2/4... was in firefights in the streets of Mogodishu, Somalia, and Son David, started out as a private in the Marine Reserve.... upon graduating from Auburn applied for officers school, got accepted and went through the Basic School for officers training at Quantico... served tours in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq with BLT 2/6 as a company commander when deployed to Fallujah... now a Major has about 3 to go ?are you getting my drift here? Marine Blood flows in me; Lee was born a US Marine at Camp LeJeune naval hospital... I flow Marine blood; USMC family blood. Semper Fi 'til I die!

Well this display / museum / exhibits/ kiosks at the Burger King showed the history and accompishments of the Navajo "Code Talkers" better than any museum / display I've seen. ... & I toured the old Marine museum at the Washington DC Naval yard across the street from 8th & I with David and Marine buddy Keith "The LAZ". ..And the D-day museum in New Orleans.

The "Code Talkers" hold and unequaled respect among Marines. They are our heros. From their sacrifice to serve... ?Do you have any idea of the hundreds and thousands of Marines lives these Navajo men saved in WWII Pacific battles? ...?that lived through the horendous Pacific war to come home and start families?

Something I learned looking at the exhibit was that of the original group of 29 Navajo americans selected to pilot the program... NONE of them washed out of Parris Island, SC boot camp; all 29 became Marines and began the code talker program.

-- also see http://stonebeartracks.blogspot.com/2010/12/canyon-de-chelly-jun-3-2010.html post for Canyon de Chelly , both North rim and South rim posts as this was in Navajo nation and I spoke with Jason, who's family had an Uncle who was a code talker. --

This was a treat! Unplanned like most of this journey... and am glad I got to see this!

At Monument Valley, there was not a "Code Talkers" mention. Thank you Burger King corporation, or franchise owner... You did good!!! Thank You!!!

-- also this write up is a good detailed article of the origin of the exhibits

http://www.azcentral.com/travel/arizona/northern/articles/2008/12/05/20081205codetalk1205.html

You never drink twice from the same stream.

4 Corners Kayenta, AZ

September '08

You never drink twice from the same stream.

4 Corners Navajo "Code Talkers" USMC

Kayenta, AZ Monument Valley Navajo Nation

Burger King Kayenta, AZ

I don't do commercials. I've avoided even doing the ads thing on this blog / website ect...

But the Burger King restaurant in Kayenta, Arizona deserves a special notation here.

After a day driving through the desert to see Monument Valley... it's taken a lifetime to get here to see this... gonna grab a bite to eat 'cause we're running late as always. So spot a Burger King ... let's chow down, get a good nights sleep,.... be rested tomorrow 'cause I don't want to miss anything in Monument Valley. I'm excited already just getting here.

And we walk into a Burger King... and I am blown away. Absolutely ... blown... away.

Let me sidetrack here. My family is a Marine family. Dad was a WWII Marine, I'm about the last Marine out of the Viet Nam era '71 to '73, Son Lee was in weapons company 2/9... then 2/4... was in firefights in the streets of Mogodishu, Somalia, and Son David, started out as a private in the Marine Reserve.... upon graduating from Auburn applied for officers school, got accepted and went through the Basic School for officers training at Quantico... served tours in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq with BLT 2/6 as a company commander when deployed to Fallujah... now a Major has about 3 to go ?are you getting my drift here? Marine Blood flows in me; Lee was born a US Marine at Camp LeJeune naval hospital... I flow Marine blood; USMC family blood. Semper Fi 'til I die!

Well this display / museum / exhibits/ kiosks at the Burger King showed the history and accompishments of the Navajo "Code Talkers" better than any museum / display I've seen. ... & I toured the old Marine museum at the Washington DC Naval yard across the street from 8th & I. And the D-day museum in New Orleans.

The "Code Talkers" hold and unequaled respect among Marines. They are our heros. From their sacrifice to serve... ?Do you have any idea of the hundreds and thousands of Marines lives these Navajo men saved in WWII Pacific battles? ...?that lived through the horendous Pacific war to come home and start families?

Something I learned looking at the exhibit was that of the original group of 29 Navajo americans selected to pilot the program... NONE of them washed out of Parris Island, SC boot camp; all 29 became Marines and began the code talker program.

-- also see http://stonebeartracks.blogspot.com/2010/12/canyon-de-chelly-jun-3-2010.html post for Canyon de Chelly , both North rim and South rim posts as this was in Navajo nation and I spoke with Jason, who's family had an Uncle who was a code talker. --

This was a treat! Unplanned like most of this journey... and am glad I got to see this!

At Monument Valley, there was not a "Code Talkers" mention. Thank you Burger King corporation, or franchise owner... You did good!!! Thank You!!!

-- also this write up is a good detailed article of the origin of the exhibits

http://www.azcentral.com/travel/arizona/northern/articles/2008/12/05/20081205codetalk1205.html

You never drink twice from the same stream.

Sept 09

You never drink twice from the same stream.

ROF road trip

Monument Valley Arizona / Utah -- Navajo Nation

I knew this would be good....

Oh God... I didn't know it would be this good.

Best friend Moose Dude knew Haley that did an internship in Kyenta, AZ. reports back were mixed, some about the poverty of the area... the despair of the area... this is Navajo territory.

Monument Valley, AZ is actually Navajo nation : Navajo Tribal Park is the official listing.

The other reports back were of the amazing beauty of Monument Valley... and the surrounding 4 corners area. Well that decision is an easy one; ?When can I get there to see this?

So this road trip had a specific goal to get to Kyenta / Monument Valley.

I've seen pictures of this... even on the big screen HD views... and that does NOT even come close to the absolutley breathtaking magnificence of this place. Just standing there overlooking the valley is paralyzing. Cool thin air, bright sunshine on this dessert plain... Powerful.

Then... I learn that you can actually drive down into the valley among these monoliths.

The drive is a loop through the valley for 17 miles. Stops at different viewpoints... each one just as magnificent as the last... and it just keeps getting more breathtaking every stop.

It's dirt roads... some really bad potholes in places that will shake your teeth, tear up a suspension on a car if you drive more than 5 -10 mph. But you kinda want to go slow and see this valley.

At one place... saw a Navajo indian ride out onto a ridge... the most picturesque thing you've ever seen of a Western setting. ... T-bone said we hit it lucky to see this. I thought... the tour bus of Europeans pulling up to the viewpoint 2 minutes earlier helped . I could vision the director & his headset : Ok, the bus has stopped; que the Navajo on the horse. ... get the souvenier stand ready. I think like that.

But it is an amazing place to see. There are Native American Navajos that actully live on this land and some places / houses / kivas are off limits. It's an amazing drive that takes a few hours... longer if you want to soak it in or take more pictures. I should have stayed longer and taken more pics.

Also see the other Monument Valley posts, and Kyenta / Burger King ( I don't do commercials but the display in the Kyenta, AZ Burger King that honors the US Marine Navajo "Code Talkers" is impressive. it's under construction -- i'm writing as fast as I can bear w/ me.

You never drink twice from the same stream.