Driving outside of Bluff, Utah in Monument Valley, I came across this great Navajo mural by a local artist (Daniel Josley) behind an abandoned gas station along the highway. I had to stop. It was as if the mural itself, in such an abandoned place, was saying, “Notice me.” It tells a story. March of 2022 was my first time visiting the area. I was impressed by the scale of the red rock monuments all around me but also the vast, dry desert spaces between. I also learned while visiting that Navajo Nation was among the very hardest areas hit by covid during the pandemic, and among the last to lift a mask mandate. Many local area shops and tours were still closed on my visit. I think this capture is powerful and works for a variety of elements all working together: (1) The mural itself, behind, with its vivid color display of Navajo artistry but also challenging times, (2) the gas station roof and sign, with its long shadow, (3) the small dog in the middle, curious to see me standing there, and (4) the colors of America, red, white and blue, very present, reminding us that the Navajo experience in such remote places is very much the American experience, too.