Arches National Park - Indian Summer Vacation Video Series

What do you get when you combine a Rock Lobster, an earthquake, a taco truck, and the most ravishing scenic shots of Arches National Park? It's just another typical video from this Cheap$kate Traveler's Indian Summer Vacation Series, of course!

If you've been following me, this is my 8th video of the series and the most outrageous one yet. And these events take place on the 3rd and 4th day of our vacation. We started with a 10-hour drive from Los Angeles (see my on-the-road video here) to an overnight stay in Flagstaff, Arizona, and then on to Monument Valley (click here to see that one.)

In a week or so is my final video blog post of ghostly Indian ruins and a breathtaking trek through Canyon de Chelly National Monument. (Click on any red type in this blog post to peruse informative website links.)

Located just 5 miles from Moab, Utah, and on the Colorado River, Arches National Park is a feast for the eyes. It covers 76,000 acres and contains more than 2000 natural sandstone Arches. The Arches were formed over millennia by rain and wind eroding red-hued sandstone into freestanding magnificent monuments.

Sandstone

Arches come in all shapes and sizes. Some are only a couple stories tall, while for others you would need to be a mountain climber to reach the top.

 Broken Arch

There is a Visitors Center at the entrance with camping info, brochures, etc. The park is well laid out, with an 18-mile paved road for easy access. It costs $10 per car and the ticket is good for a week. There are many scenic stops along the road, with parking slots - some rest stops have water fountains and restrooms. We stopped at one that even had picnic tables.

Make sure to get a map and do a little research, as there are many Arches to see. For some Arches, you can just pull over and gawk and take photos. While others, you will walk well laid out and traveled trails. All the rest stops have a clearly made trail map plaque and info about the Arches along the paths.

My wife and I spent 2 days there and barely scratched the surface. We camped in nearby Moab, Utah (click here to see my Camping Video.) The early morning and late afternoon are comfortable times to hike and sightsee. The sun can be brutal, so bring sunscreen and a hat. Even in May, the midday temperature was in the 90's. I wore sandals but would cover my feet better next time, as I stubbed my toe and almost ruined a day.

Not my sandals

Also, bring something to snack on and have a couple of water bottles for refilling along the way. A lot the the Arches can be seen from the main road and are a short hike away. One of the most famous is the 65-foot-tall Delicate Arch. You can take a short hike to see it from a distance - which we did. But to see it up close you must walk 3 miles from the rest stop, which takes 2 to 3 hours to get there. Next time I would take the time to hike it. I could easily spend a couple weeks hiking and taking photos/videos in Arches National Park. And maybe even try to camp in the park itself, although the sites fill up way in advance - click here to read about that.


But there are plenty of Arches with easy access. A most memorable one was Landscape Arch. The hike to get there was about a mile from the rest stop. The trail was easy to walk, with many scenic rock formations and native plants along the way. It's a well-traveled trail and our fellow hikers were considerate and pleasant enough.

Landscape Arch is said to be the world's longest at about 291 feet across. It looks like a man-made bridge. The Arch is a few hundred feet off the trail so you can't stand under it, but you get close enough to be awed by its unique structure and beauty. Of course, I had to do a wacky video scene there involving a fictitious Taco Truck.

The most bang for the buck is North and South Window and Turret Arches. You get 3 magnificent Arch views that are a short walk from the road. There are stone steps that lead the way. And you can walk right up to, and inside, each Arch. Truly awe-inspiring. (Click here to see a cool 360-degree interactive panorama shot of all 3 Arches.

A fun short trek is to Sand Dune Arch. It was like walking on an ochre-hued sandy beach, with giant red walls of sandstone framing the trail. You'll want to take your shoes off when you arrive at the Aches, the sand is so soft and fine to the touch.

Sand Dune Arch

There are many other rock formations to check out. I especially liked Balanced Rock. Again, it's right off the main drag. The boulder on top is the size of 3 school buses. You get a little queasy and nervous just standing nearby.

Balanced Rock

Go ahead and walk right up and touch it. Well, I did - with disastrous results! Be sure to watch my video all the way to the end to see what I mean.

I'm on the homestretch of this Indian Summer Vacation Series. Only a couple more blog posts to go, then it's back to recipes and food reviews. Thanks for hanging out with me so far, and check out my video below -- it's classic 99 Cent Chef in action. Special 99 thanks to the caretakers of Arches National Park and my wife, Amy, for arranging the tour and recording The Chef's outrageous antics.

Arches National Park - Video #8

Play it here, video runs 5 minutes, 38 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

My Rock Lobster joke/reference in the video above is based on The B-52s fantastic music single released in 1978. Here's a link to that New Wave hit video.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour

Camping in Moab, Utah - Indian Summer Vacation Video Series

I'm roughing it in my next Indian Summer Vacation Video. My intrepid vacation-planning wife found a campsite in the small town of Moab, Utah -- just 5 miles from Arches National Park. This video covers our camping time, then it's on to eye-popping Arches. You will not believe the next video I have in store for you, this one is just a warm-up.

The campsite is called Up The Creek and is located a few blocks from the center of downtown. Click here to see the website.

 Downtown Moab, Utah

Moab is small, with a few thousand residents, so the campsite was quiet, especially with a small creek rushing by.

 It's a little high-end at $32 a night for two people, but a good deal when you include: shower stalls, restrooms, an outdoor sink, charging station for electronics, gas grills, and even wheelbarrows to roll in your camping equipment.(Of course, always best to check on their website to see latest daily rates and all the campsite details.) Click here for a link to more campsites, cabins, and RV parks.

The campsite takes up about half a city block - not huge, but spacious enough. You park in a car lot by the entrance and carry, or wheelbarrow-in, all the camping stuff.

It's tent only, no RV's or car camping here. I saw about a dozen tents setup when we were there. And there are plenty of cottonwood trees, so you keep cool in the shade.

We stayed two days and nights and have no complaints. Although, we found out it was the hottest it's been all year (end of May.) While mostly sunny, but with those giant puffy white clouds you see in all the Western movies, the clouds were welcome shade providers -- however brief (pack plenty of sunblock.) And at night it cooled down comfortably. There are insects, but not biting ones (at least no bites on me.)

We had a neighbor who brought his dog - it costs another $5 per day. The animal was well behaved, friendly but quiet.

Having free access to showering was especially welcome after a sweltering day of sightseeing in Arches National Park. And right around the corner of the shower/restrooms is an outdoor kitchen sink, with fresh water for water bottle refills.

Since I was documenting stuff with my digital cameras, the charging station by the kitchen sink got a lot of use. There is no WiFi in the camp, but a couple blocks away are cafes and a visitors center for free online access.

They have a couple gas grills on a picnic table for public use, since no camp fires are allowed. If you don't like cooking and the cleanup, there are plenty of dining options in Moab.

The first night we had a tasty Happy Hour pizza, all-you-can-eat salad, and draft beer at Zax Restaurant & Watering Hole (click here to read all about them.) There are at least a dozen more dining and fast food destinations and a large grocery store, along the main street.

The main attraction was the short drive to Arches National Park - barely 5 minutes away. So it's easy to do a morning hike, take a break at camp, and return to the park later in the day when it has cooled down. Of course you can camp in the park itself, but good luck getting a spot (go ahead and read about it here.)

My Camping in Moab, Utah is a short video and I think you will enjoy it. It's just an appetizer - my next video on Arches National Park is a feast for the eyes, so do check back next week, too.

Camping in Moab, Utah - Video #7

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 31 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour

Indian Clan Names - Indian Summer Vacation Video Series

This is just a short post of my last Monument Valley video. Next up is our camping and Arches National Park videos and blog posts, plus a recipe for a Frybread Taco. I'm over half way through with this Indian Summer Vacation Series.

 My latest video again features Don Mose, our Spirit Guide. It's only a minute and a half, but still enlightening. As you can tell from previous blog posts, I shot a lot of Don footage, and this is the last video he's featured in.

In this video he speaks of the complexity of Navajo language. I also show a list of Clan names, or what Indian Tribes call themselves. When I put the video together, I wanted to subtitle the Clan names. But it seemed impossible to write or spell them...until I Googled one of the English translated names (Tangle People) and up popped this great website. Click here to see it, but basically the Clan names are spelled out phonetically, so I could now cut-and-paste to subtitle this video.

Don mentions that the Navajo language is now on Rosetta Stone - a language learning software program. You can read about the program here. They also have a free Navajo language lesson to sample by clicking here - you do have to check a box and agree to Rosetta Stone's terms, then step though a short setup. It's all pretty intuitive, though.

Well thanks for hanging with me thus far, there's still a few more videos to go. And while they may not be recipe videos, they do have food themes and humor sprinkled throughout. I try to stay in the recipe and restaurant review mold, but you know by now that I like to digress from time to time.

Be sure to check back for some incredible photos and footage of Arches National Park and more wacky hijinks from The Cheap$kate Trekker.

Indian Clan Names - Video #6

Play it here, video runs 1 minutes, 32 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

99 thanks to Don Mose for a memorable tour. To read about getting Don Mose as a Spirit Guide in Monument Valley, click here. 

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour

Spirit Guide & Medicine Man, Don Mose - Indian Summer Video Series

You can refer to me as the Naive Chef for this video blog post. What I know about Navajo culture you could fit on the sharpened edge of a tomahawk. Any info I heard has been secondhand through popular media (movies) or the occasional radio interview. To learn directly from Don Mose, our Monument Valley Navajo Spirit Guide, was a special treat. And I got it on video for you to view at the end of this post.

If you were here a couple of weeks ago then you've seen him in wise man mode. My Vision Quest Video with Don featured him pointing out amazing landscapes, deciphering petroglyphs, plus a Navajo sweat lodge ceremony lesson. Just scroll down a couple of blog posts to view, if you missed it.

This time Don gets into how the Navajo language is being preserved. He also describes the differences of  Male and Female Hogans. These living quarters and ceremonial structures are made of cedar wood and covered in dirt for insulation. There is a hole in the roof for smoke to escape during the cooking of meals. And the doorway, or opening, always faces East to catch Father Sky's sunrise (and to tell time of day.)

Inside a hogan

Male and Female Hogans serve different purposes, but I'll let Don describe that to you in the video below.

Male Hogan

While at one of the many scenic stops of our tour, I mentioned to Don that I write and make videos about food. He lit up and excitedly walked us into the scrubs on the side of the dirt road.  He broke off a handful of scraggly stems and explained that you steep these in hot water for a tea to soothe a stomach ache. He looked around and immediately picked another herb from Mother Nature and explained it's pharmaceutical use, as well. (Whew, I managed to work in a food/herb theme into this blog post after all.)

Not only was Don our Spirit Guide, he's also a Medicine Man!

Allow me to be blunt, this blog post is a sure-fire hit! So check out my latest Indian Summer Vacation Video to learn a little more Navajo culture, plus I make a humorous appearance at the end of this video.

Spirit Guide & Medicine Man, Don Mose - Video #5

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 42 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

99 thanks to Don Mose for a memorable tour. To read about getting Don Mose as a Spirit Guide in Monument Valley, click here.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour

Monument Valley Tour & Vision Quest Video - Indian Summer Series

Monument Valley is one of my picks for 9 Wonders of the World -- something everyone should see. And it's in our own backyard here in the West. But if you can't make it to the magical Canyon Lands, then just sit back and watch the video at the end of this blog post. Allow me to be your Cheap$kate Chaperone - no admission charge necessary for this awesome tour.

The beginning of this video starts with a Sunset Tour (5:30 - 8:30pm) of Monument Valley for $80 per person - click here to read about Navajo Spirit Tours. Entering Monument Valley costs $20 per car, but the ticket is good for four days. My wife arranged it all, and also found the best Navajo Spiritual Guide we could have booked. His name is Don Mose and he draws from a deep knowledge of Navajo culture.

I could tell he was an experienced lecturer and teacher by his smooth and engaging delivery. He fed our heads with Indian lore and took us to the coolest landmarks, even where to stand for the best camera angle.

Our Navajo Spirit Guide, Don Mose

And he fearlessly steered our tour tram over unpaved and bumpy dirt roads. At one memorable stop he even sang a melodious Indian song, cappella. You can hear it during my Vision Quest video sequence. He also has a good sense of humor - just watch him volley back any impertinent question I lobbed his way.

There is too much of Don Mose to fit in this video. So if you enjoy his stories, then be sure to check back, as I will put together more of his words of wisdom in another video to share with you, including a lesson using local herbs as organic medicine, plus a tour of Male and Female Hogan living quarters -- totally fascinating.

Indian Petroglyphs

You could skip a guided tour, as you are allowed to tour Monument Valley on your own. But you'll want to read up on it so you don't just drive past the many amazing landmarks.

Can you see the head of Sleeping Dragon Rock?

The third video in my Indian Summer Vacation Series starts straightforward enough, with typical tourist scenes and the prerequisite 99 Cent Chef's hijinks. But by the time you're a minute past the halfway mark...well, get ready for The Vacationing Chef's outlandish Vision Quest.

I knew it would be cool to make something out of our tour of a Sweat Lodge. So when I shot some video, I had no idea what to do with it. Could I have bitten off more than I could chew once again? But the next day during a lunch picnic, I found a bleached-white bone. Suddenly I had a real Vision Quest involving the bone and a talking coyote. Well, you'll have to watch the video to experience it.

Sweat Lodge  - The start of my Vision Quest

You can take The Chef out of Hollywood, but you can't take Hollywood out of the Cinematic Cook. To fully appreciate my Vision Quest you need to have seen the opening scene from Stanley Kubrick's mind-blowing movie "2001- a space odyssey." You remember it don't you? It's the Dawn of Man scene were a large upright black monolith slab (planted by extraterrestrials) triggers our ape/humanoid ancestors use of weaponry. Just watch the film clip first, for the setup to my Vision Quest. My ripoff (I mean homage) begins about 5 minutes, 30 seconds in, but the whole 9 minute, 33 second clip is worth a gander (especially the bone toss at the end.)

Dawn of Man movie still, from 2001: a space odyssey.

Of course you can skip the 2001 clip and just go right to my video below and take in my Indian Vision Quest. It stands on it's own. Anyway, the opening clip to "200l: a space odyssey" is a click away here.

My latest Indian Summer Vacation video has it all: breathtaking photography, skillfully told Navajo knowledge, a hallucinatory Vision Quest and a bit of comedy. And check back as there's a lot to come - I haven't even got to awe-inspiring Arches National Park, or a delish Frybread Taco Recipe.

Monument Valley Tour & Vision Quest - Video #3

Play it here, video runs 7 minutes, 37 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour