Our guide, Sandrea, was an awesome driver, wrestling the Expedition through deep sand and stony roads as needed. A Navajo tribal member, she told us about living in the region, the difficulty of getting jobs in the area, sang two songs for us, and took us to visit a Navajo elder in a hogan. The elder lady told us about weaving, about her experiences on the reservation, and was a delightful host. It was a pleasure to see inside the well-constructed hogan, a cold weather front and brisk winds making it cold and miserable outdoors. A woodstove in the center was vented out of an open rooftop, with the stovepipe carrying the smoke up into the sky. There was jewelry to consider for purchase. If you go on a tour like this, please tip the people who tell you about their lives, their skills, and answer questions for you. This kind woman had a tip box conspicuously placed. It is also courteous to buy a piece or two of jewelry, most of which is very modestly priced. That purchase was a way to thank the hogan owners, who lent the hogan to the elder for her work. You also need to tip your tour guide. In doing this, you are helping three families with your tips and purchases. Jobs are relatively few on the reservation, and giving tours is one of the significant sources of income. They are sharing their lives; you can share some of your comparative wealth. In return, Sandrea pointed out good photo opportunities, stopped at every thing that caught our eyes, and explained what we were looking at. If you choose to take a tour of the restricted areas of Monument Valley (tourists without guides are restricted to certain areas, and some of those roads are not suited to their cars, so a guide offers both safe exploration in a suitable vehicle and adventures you wouldn't have any other way), you can usually book tours on the spot with an operator. You can find them near the entrance to the Valley road. I am not sure how well this works if you want to do more than the usual trip around the rocks. I chose an extended backcountry tour in order to see an ancient pueblo dwelling in a cave, petroglyphs, and the hogan visit with a tribal member. We booked our tour with Viator, operated by Trip Advisor, and there was initially an issue with the information not being passed to the tour operator. When nobody came to the area where we waited at the hotel lobby, I contacted Viator, who started working to remedy the situation. Within minutes I got a call from the company manager, who let us know that one of his employees, Sandrea, was being called into work, and would be there in half an hour. It was actually just over 45 minutes, as her home was a long ways from the Monument. Despite getting called in to work on her day off, she was gracious, helpful, and informative. I would recommend calling that tour company directly (not through Viator) and booking Sandrea. By making the connection direct, the tribe makes a little more money, not having to pay a commission to Viator. To be fair, Viator was very industrious about fixing the error, but we still spent an hour waiting and shopping at the gift shop (which wasn't nearly as awesome as some of the other gift shops we visited on this vacation). Following the tour with Sandrea, we grabbed a bite at the Goulding gas station and headed for Valley of the Gods. That was a very worthwhile visit as well, and done without need for a guide. Making a trip around that valley, we headed for Moab to spend the night. This is where that hour we wasted in the morning would have been most helpful, as we arrived after dark and had some difficulty finding the driveway to our hotel despite the GPS mapping system. Actually, I think the map lady was laughing at us and doing it on purpose. Anyway, visit the Monument Valley, take a guided tour and help the Navajo. In return, you'll see a lot more than you would otherwise see, and you'll understand what you are looking at. The Valley belongs to the Navajo. Let them show you its marvels.