Page 216 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

self-sufficiency because it’s 125 miles from any
interstate. You really have to want to see it.
Adam Paszk and Nayan Patel REALLY
wanted to see it. They traveled from London
for the opportunity. The London that’s in Eng-
land.
Adam, who works in the fire protection in-
dustry, and Nayan, a data consultant, arrived
in Phoenix on a Saturday night and were re-
turning to London on Monday, just two days
later, so they drove directly to the Four Cor-
ners. Doesn’t everyone?
They also hoped to squeeze in a few minutes
at the Rainbow Bridge in Utah, Monument
Valley and Sedona. The American road trip is
not limited to Americans.
“I’m trying to see as much as I can before I
die,” Adam said.
“We’re both workaholics so we have not as
much time. So this time we just came for a
couple of nights, to be honest with you, all the
way from London. I’ll be back myself in the
USA for Christmas with the family in Florida.
A place called Tampa.”
The Four Corners Monument, which the
Navajo tribe operates, is a speck in the vast
vacancy of the Southwest, a metal disc in the
ground surrounded by shaded benches in a
small, modern amphitheater and open-air Na-
tive craft booths. It met the expectations of
Adam and Nayan, as it does for others in-
trigued by borders.
“We knew it was in the middle of nowhere,
but it was exactly right, exactly what you ex-
pect to see,” Adam said. He grew up in Poland
and has lived in the United Kingdom for 22
years.
And did we mention this about the Four ceptions are Monument Valley and Antelope
Corners?
Canyon. Navajos invite you to experience
“It’s in one of the episodes of ‘Breaking these places where grandeur overwhelms
Bad,’” Nayan said (without prompting). senses and pixels. Many of us respond. At An-
Navajo Nation extends into Arizona, Utah telope Canyon, maybe too many.
and New Mexico, encompassing 27,000 square To understand Monument Valley Tribal Park
miles that are mostly unknown to non-Natives, and see more than the buttes and formations
which seems to suit Navajos just fine. Two ex- prominently featured in the work of Johns

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