Page 218 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

He lives in what he calls the “west side,” or
Oljato, west of the tribal park. He went to ju-
nior college in Prescott, Arizona, then to Ari-
zona State University in Tempe and eventually
became an electrician. When the economy
spasmed in 2008 and afterward, he felt the
call to become a tour guide and help explain
the Navajo world to the rest of the world. He’s
been guiding off and on since then.
He’s fine with the movie industry and novel-
ists focusing on Navajo people and tradition as
long as the portrayal is accurate and realistic.
The work of the late novelist Tony Hillerman
qualifies, he said. Hillerman’s books form the
basis for the “Dark Winds” television and
streaming series, which often sends crews to
Monument Valley to shoot scenes.
“I like the way he does the superstitions,”
Bobby said. “You can tell he’s been among the
Navajo. He’s been patient enough to sit back
and observe instead of just making some kind
of fantasy up and saying like, ‘Oh, this is what
it’s like.’”
Monument Valley is more than just the Mit-
tens, the Three Sisters and Elephant Butte, as
striking as those formations are. From deeper
inside the park, add a close look at arches that
nature has carved in the sandstone, listen to
Bobby playing a traditional flute near an
acoustically friendly rock formation known as
the Big Hogan, and get a glimpse of a Navajo
homestead that remains in the park (no water,
no electricity).
The size of Monument Valley Tribal Park al-
lows the Navajo to spread out tour groups so
visitors can better experience the isolation and
allure of such a place. The much smaller Ante-
lope Canyon, near Page, Arizona, offers as-

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