Unbelievably, whilst we are on holiday, we have been up at 06:15 two days in a row now. I hope Stephen doesn't get the bug for sunrise photography...sunset is a lot more civilised seeing as it usually comes with a cocktail or two! It was worth getting up though. The sunrise was pretty stunning this morning. Would you believe that, despite being up at dawn, we were still pushed for time? The Valley tour begins at 09:00 and at 08:30 we still had to get out the door and buy tickets. No time for breakfast, so we ended up scoffing the remains of a packet of Cadburys Mini Eggs I had in my bag. A couple of mini eggs was enough to stave off immediate hunger, but a couple of real eggs would probably been better!
My weirdo alert was screeching this morning as we were sitting waiting for the tour jeep. Some guy came up to us and asked if we had been into the Valley yet. We said we were about to go on the tour and there followed a thorough interrogation. He was probably only trying to make conversation, but he did it in such an accusatory manner and without blinking it began to weird me out!! I was really glad when he walked off with his girlfriend and got in their sedan car to self-drive the 17 mile loop.
If he had done his research he would have seen the words "partially-paved" when describing the roadway, and if he was observant he would have seen that all the tours were in 4WD vehicles. I would not have liked to try and get a regular car round the Loop that is for sure!! I'm pretty sure that axles must get broken out there!
Eddie (our Navajo guide) was obviously a veteran. He knew when to drive up the wrong side of the road to avoid the potholes and the really rough bits. Not that it was a smooth ride. Far from it! We were bounced about until our teeth rattled and swayed like we were on a camel. We were definitely shaken....and when we stopped at the first point on the tour I was certainly stirred. I do seem to have become an emotional wreck in recent years. The slightest thing will make me well up...today it was seeing the majesty of Monument Valley spread out before me. It was utterly, utterly stunning.
I have wanted to come here for many years - probably something to do with all the old Western movies I used to watch on a Sunday with Dad. John Ford made about 8 movies here and John Wayne starred in quite a few of those (Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon etc), so many of the vistas are instantly recognisable, each more stunning than the last.
We bounced our way round the valley for 3 hours taking loads of photos. Competition is fierce between us, and we're both getting loads of great shots. I spent this afternoon sorting through some of them as it was becoming a daunting task!
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