Shiprock

I have to go with the Navajo: Tsé Bitʼaʼí, the "rock with wings", is truly a sacred place.

The volcanic neck, the core of an ancient volcano, stands out on a plain with nothing near it except the long basalt dikes stretching for miles in three directions.

The first time we visited Shiprock, I had seen photos and wondered if it would be as striking as it looked in the books, and as visible. I needn't have worried. It's far weirder and more beautiful in person than in photos, and it's visible and unmistakable for maybe a hundred miles in every direction.

Next: Little Wild Horse Canyon
Up: Hanksville trip