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March 2012 - Momo's Wing alias King of Wings
The location of the so-called King of Wings or Momo’s Wing was kept for a while. From time to time new pictures of the King of Wings appeared in the Web, taken by some photographers who discovered the location, however no one lifted the secret and gave any information where to find the King of Wings. The secret remained secret. Many people, in particular photographers (including myself), analyzed the available pictures to find any hint where the King of Wings could be located. The San Juan Badlands are a too wide area to find a single stone, however, there were rumors and unconfirmed statements from various persons about the possible location of the King of Wings. This information was discussed in some USA forums, but the number of persons seriously interested in finding (and searching) the King of Wings somewhere between Bisti Badlands and Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness was relatively small. It takes time to check out where some unpaved roads in that area are leading to, or even to go hiking in order to search the stone in remote areas.
Searching the Stone
In September 2010 I was travelling in New Mexico and I spent some time to check out some side washes of the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wash. There were some unconfirmed statements that the site of the King of Wings could be in such a side wash. A year later I found out that I was pretty close to the King of Wings however, I turned around because I could not find a certain unpaved road which was shown in the map of DeLorme Topo USA 7.0. This unpaved 4WD-road should have brought me close to some side washes of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wash, where I planned to start hiking and searching the area for the King of Wings. I tried to get close to the area I wanted to investigate from the other (south-east) side, but the unpaved road was passing private land of Navajos and I turned around at a gate. But I also thought I was wrong because the area did not look like the surrounding of the King of Wings – I was too far away.
Back at home in Germany I discussed my fruitless search with other interested persons, but we came to no useful conclusions. Then suddenly there was a newbie in the Discover America forum, Andreas Möller with Nickname Luggi, who never was in the USA but who was convinced that one could find the King of Wings on aerial pictures on Google Earth or Bing Maps. Most of the USA experienced members of the forum were smiling at his proposal and most comments were negative, arrogant and in a know-it-all manner. However, the newbie was not discouraged.
Discoverd on aerial pictures
I don’t know exactly what happened next, but at least there were two persons in the forum who did not find it ridiculous to check aerial pictures – they were Stefan Lindl and me. Stefan and Andreas will know better what they discussed, but at one stage my knowledge about the area from my investigations in September 2010 became important for them. Then from my point of view everything went pretty fast. Also based on my pre-investigations Stefan and Andreas had limited the area coming into question, and finally Andreas identified the possible location of the King of Wings on aerial pictures. Because we three had some email conversation on these matters, I soon also knew where the King of Wings probably was located. My assumption was later confirmed by the co-ordinates I received from Andreas.
Since spring 2012 the shadow of the King of Wings is clearly visible on the updated aerial pictures in Google Earth, if you search in the right area (middle of the picture).
We visit the King of Wings
Stefan was the first of us who checked in 2011 whether the King of Wings is really there where his location was identified based on aerial pictures. At that time the shadow of the King of Wings was not that clear and distinct visible as on the newer aerial pictures in Google Earth. But Andreas was right and Stefan could confirm the location of the King of Wings.
In March 2012 I had the opportunity to visit the King of Wings. The road to the windmill water pump was familiar to me from my visit in 2010, however at that time I turned around because there was no unpaved road leading further south as indicated in the maps of DeLorme Topo USA 7.0. From Farmington you follow State Route NM-371 (Bisti Highway) southward and a few miles south of the road leading to Bisti Wilderness you turn left on CR 7650 which will become later IR 7023. Up to waypoint KOW2 you can drive with any car in dry weather, even with a motorhome. But for the last mile to the windmill at KOW3 you should have a high clearance SUV and then you have to hike for another few miles. Before you can start hiking you have to cross a fence – so be aware that you pass private land.
You can download the map as PDF. and the waypoints to the King of Wings as (.gpx).
I parked my car behind the corral surrounding the windmill water pump, to avoid that it could be seen easily from the passing IR 7023. I crawled below the fence, which was not there in 2010, and headed south following my GPS pointing to the King of Wings. I found a beaten path from cows, which I followed then, because the cows know best where the easiest way is. Thereby I lost a bit the direct route to the King of Wings, but I avoided hiking up and down all the time in the hilly terrain. Soon I saw the King of Wings sitting on top of a hill and I hiked straight to that hill. On one hand I was happy to be at the King of Wings, on the other hand I did not find it so impressing – at least it is just a stone. As always you need extraordinary light for extraordinary landscape pictures – unfortunately I had rather boring light and a blue sky without any clouds.
Questions and questions
Despite many requests whether I know where the King of Wings is located, I did not give much information, except the one that was more or less commonly known – the King of Wings is probably in a side wash of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wash. Sometimes it was hard for me to say nothing (to lie), because also other persons in the USA forum were searching for the King of Wings, and with some of them I had rather good connections. However, the one person that revealed the secret about the King of Wings was Andreas (alias Luggi), and he wanted to visit the King of Wings before the location was made public. I fully understood this attitude! From time to time I made some allusions in various USA forums, but it was absolutely clear for me, that I would not reveal the secret before Andreas (Luggi) had the chance to visit the King of Wings.
Now he did it and he should be the first one to publish the location of the King of Wings. I was not sure whether it is good or bad to make the location of such a fragile structure public – but finally we did it. And now it is also the time to explain my sometimes strange behavior when I was asked about the King of Wings.
Epilog
I did not meet any Navajo who threatened with ripping up the tires of my car, and I parked my car without hesitation near the corral at the windmill water pump. This might probably change if more and more people visit that place, park their car and crawl under the fence to hike to the King of Wings. So please be regardful and careful because you cross private land – and let the King of Wings as it is for another few years.
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