Monument Valley
After a relaxing two weeks in the Monti-LaSalle National Forest above Moab, I have moved further south into Arizona. I’m presently camped at a free campground in the Navajo National Monument about 30 miles west of Kayenta, Arizona.
I really liked the camping spot I found in the Monti LaSalle National Forest. My site was secluded and pretty, I had a stream nearby for cleaning and washing, I had some shade trees behind my RV, and I got pretty good cell signal.
There were also a couple of things that were not nice. Even at 7500′ the weather was warm in the middle of the day. I would take walks early in the day or late in the afternoon and sit in the shade through the hot part of the day. The road up the mountain was under major construction, so to miss long waits for the pilot car, I had to time my trips to town during the weekend. When I left camp yesterday, I drove to another forest road past the construction zone after all the workers had parked their yellow machines and went home. I parked just before dark and left early this morning.
When I drove the road to Navajo National Monument I noticed several vehicles parked alongside the road and the people crawling around under the trees. This morning as I waited for more construction, I asked the flagman what they were doing. He told me they were gathering Pinyon Nuts. I didn’t Google it to see if he was right, but he said the trees only bare nuts every few years. They roast and sell them along the road for pretty good money.
Are they the same as Pine Nuts?
Yep. Pinon nuts are a big deal in Northern AZ and in Northern NM. People can make good money if they are willing to put in the time.
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I just read a book where poor people gathered pine nuts and sold them as a way of bringing in income. (It was a biography so I knew that was a true money maker.) I’ve looked for them on and under pine trees but never found any. Welcome back to Arizona!
Pinon is a member of the pine family and I believe all pines have a type of nut. The pinon is a particularly large, easily peeled nut with a mild flavor. They are quite good.
I like pinion nuts.