Monument Valley is arguably one of the most famous landscapes in the American Southwest. After watching Forrest Gump, I knew a snapshot of the epic stretch of road leading up into the valley was obligatory. Better yet, I was going to cycle it. Since we were approaching Monument Valley from the northeast in Colorado, I made note of the number of beautiful sites worth seeing along the way: Mexican Hat Rock, Moki Dugway, and Valley of the Gods. Immediately after hiking the Sand Canyon Trail we set out for Mexican Hat Rock, not because the rock formation was particularly interesting,…