Day 25: From Moab to Kayenta, Arizona: Navaho Indian Reservation

We met up early that morning with our new friends and headed to the 3rd annual, “Pumpkin Chukin’ Festival!” This festival is literally a celebration of pumpkins, with events including a seed spitting contest AND a pumpkin launching contest!


In the spitting contest, Maryanne’s seed only went 82 inches, while Helen’s went over 200 – but they both LOST to someone else, so there was no fighting.

After Helen’s spitting superiority, there was the LAUCHING of the pumpkins! This included catapults and massive slingshots to do the CHUCKIN. It was the most ridiculous and entertaining festival we’ve EVER seen. Some pumpkins went over 300 feet! Some went backwards into the area the crowd was told not to stand! Only three people were injured!

Afterwards we left for Kayenta, Arizona, a city on the Navaho Indian Reservation. As we were driving, we passed a huge stretch of unique and massive rocks. We got out and took pictures – and later learned that this was Monument Valley! Film location for John Wayne western films and other classics!

We met our host, Jen, and she continued our all-day pumpkin celebration by taking us to a friend’s small Halloween party to paint pumpkins! (Jen lives on the reserve as a teacher in a public school.) We learned a lot of fascinating things about the Reserve. Alcohol is illegal – you cannot buy or consume anything. There is still a strong resistance toward Western culture. The language is still spoken, and many, many other quirky things.

That night we all told ghost stories and everyone got really scared……we won’t scare the followers and tell you what the stories were, but look behind you! YIKES.