Tour Diary - Day Twelve
Dec. 8th, 2016 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanStill in the desert... & there were horses with no names!
Saturday 15th of October - Monument Valley
For the first time in what seems like forever, we're not getting up for sunrise photos tomorrow... Let's get that out of the way now
But today we did get up for sunrise in the Valley. By the time the pre-dawn light brought the giant shadows to life, we were staked out at Artist's Point, ready for the pink clouds & the reddening formations. The sky was very co-operative, with clouds coming over at the right time to complement the changing colours of the stones
Once the sun was up, we did a circuit of the Valley floor, stopping whenever we saw something worthwhile... so about every 100 metres really. After revisiting John Ford/Wayne Point, we stopped at the corral where horses are kept for tourist trail rides & I saw a photo opportunity with all the horses in various stages of preparation for the day. What the Navajo owner/operator saw, however, was yet another tourist approaching with a camera & his shout of "No pictures!!" was met with no argument from me...
As it turned out, about 200m down the road, around 10 horses trotted past us, heading back to the corral after a night out on the Valley, so we got plenty of pictures anyway...
At the 'back' of the loop trail there is a formation known as the 'Totem Poles' which I'd always regretted not being able to photograph properly the last time we were here, as the sun was directly behind them. So it was good to get there a little later in the day to see what they really look like & the decision was made to return there at sunset. Especially when we found evidence of a strange practice that seems to have cropped up in the Valley over the last few years - little cairns of stones built up to look like miniature versions of the giant formations. There are dozens of them at the viewpoint for the Totem Poles & they make a great counterpoint when photographed with their giant relatives in the background
We made it back to the View Hotel at the start of the trail, just before midday, when the light was getting harsh & so was the temperature. Perfect time to go & find brunch of some sort in the Hotel. Entering via the Gift Shop, I found that they were still selling the same t-shirt I bought 4 years ago, now showing the signs of frequent wear & tear, so it was good to know I could get another - none of the other designs really appealed & they were all more expensive too. Bargain. Brunch was found in the Dining Area, where we managed to beat the hordes of tourists still on the Valley floor & ordered & ate our burger, bisque & sandwich in peace. We decided to return to our accommodations to catch up on sleep (Gary) & laundry (us), meeting again at 3pm to return to the Valley, via the Museum at the View Hotel
Hurry up to get the laundry ready & down to the coin-op machines, then wait to buy powder, wait to buy more powder, then wait while the wash & dry cycles took their time - so lots of playing solitaire & sudoku on the phone... Laundry done, museum visited & t-shirt purchased, we hit the Valley trail again, with the ultimate goal of being at the Totem Poles by the time the shadows lengthened. When we arrived there, so had an easterly wind that blew half the sand in the Valley at us & our cameras. Wincing every time I shifted my lens & heard the grinding noise it was now making, I set about photographing the little cairns & retrieving my hat a few times, then tried my hand at building a couple of them myself (cairns, not hats). Once done, with photos to prove it, I joined Gary at a vantage point that had a nice view of the Poles & surrounding dunes & dry riverbed. Once done there, we headed around the trail to another viewpoint that had some Navajo jewellery sellers & their vicious attack puppy... no, not really, (s)he was adorable & smaller than our cat Layla. No threat at all, though its teeth were typically puppy-sharp. Ask me how I know...
My little Monument
So we were done... & pointed the red & dusty Travis back towards the top of the trail & our accommodation for an early night. That's when the full moon poked its head over the horizon & we screeched to a halt & marvelled & photographed. If I never take another photo of Monument Valley... & I hope I do, those moon shots are a great way to go out
The oil warning light flashed up on Travis's dashboard as we headed for the little food court near our cabin, another reason to get the car swapped over either in Las Vegas, or St George in the coming days. Gary is sure we'll be fine, but he's in his own back yard (kind of), in his own vehicle - whereas we're strangers in an increasingly strange land, piloting an unfamiliar behemoth around desert trails with 'zero oil life' according to the warning light. Even though he's probably right, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution. If it was my car, I'd probably go another 500 miles (then walk 500 more to the nearest mechanic...)
A cheap fried chicken dinner, tasty & not huge... accompanied by Gary's cask wine on the porch of our cabin - I think we've finally become Americans. We certainly feel naturalised
Packing & organising bags & suitcases for a 7.40am departure tomorrow. The sun will already be up - quite a novelty after the last few days
Saturday 15th of October - Monument Valley
For the first time in what seems like forever, we're not getting up for sunrise photos tomorrow... Let's get that out of the way now
But today we did get up for sunrise in the Valley. By the time the pre-dawn light brought the giant shadows to life, we were staked out at Artist's Point, ready for the pink clouds & the reddening formations. The sky was very co-operative, with clouds coming over at the right time to complement the changing colours of the stones
Once the sun was up, we did a circuit of the Valley floor, stopping whenever we saw something worthwhile... so about every 100 metres really. After revisiting John Ford/Wayne Point, we stopped at the corral where horses are kept for tourist trail rides & I saw a photo opportunity with all the horses in various stages of preparation for the day. What the Navajo owner/operator saw, however, was yet another tourist approaching with a camera & his shout of "No pictures!!" was met with no argument from me...
As it turned out, about 200m down the road, around 10 horses trotted past us, heading back to the corral after a night out on the Valley, so we got plenty of pictures anyway...
At the 'back' of the loop trail there is a formation known as the 'Totem Poles' which I'd always regretted not being able to photograph properly the last time we were here, as the sun was directly behind them. So it was good to get there a little later in the day to see what they really look like & the decision was made to return there at sunset. Especially when we found evidence of a strange practice that seems to have cropped up in the Valley over the last few years - little cairns of stones built up to look like miniature versions of the giant formations. There are dozens of them at the viewpoint for the Totem Poles & they make a great counterpoint when photographed with their giant relatives in the background
We made it back to the View Hotel at the start of the trail, just before midday, when the light was getting harsh & so was the temperature. Perfect time to go & find brunch of some sort in the Hotel. Entering via the Gift Shop, I found that they were still selling the same t-shirt I bought 4 years ago, now showing the signs of frequent wear & tear, so it was good to know I could get another - none of the other designs really appealed & they were all more expensive too. Bargain. Brunch was found in the Dining Area, where we managed to beat the hordes of tourists still on the Valley floor & ordered & ate our burger, bisque & sandwich in peace. We decided to return to our accommodations to catch up on sleep (Gary) & laundry (us), meeting again at 3pm to return to the Valley, via the Museum at the View Hotel
Hurry up to get the laundry ready & down to the coin-op machines, then wait to buy powder, wait to buy more powder, then wait while the wash & dry cycles took their time - so lots of playing solitaire & sudoku on the phone... Laundry done, museum visited & t-shirt purchased, we hit the Valley trail again, with the ultimate goal of being at the Totem Poles by the time the shadows lengthened. When we arrived there, so had an easterly wind that blew half the sand in the Valley at us & our cameras. Wincing every time I shifted my lens & heard the grinding noise it was now making, I set about photographing the little cairns & retrieving my hat a few times, then tried my hand at building a couple of them myself (cairns, not hats). Once done, with photos to prove it, I joined Gary at a vantage point that had a nice view of the Poles & surrounding dunes & dry riverbed. Once done there, we headed around the trail to another viewpoint that had some Navajo jewellery sellers & their vicious attack puppy... no, not really, (s)he was adorable & smaller than our cat Layla. No threat at all, though its teeth were typically puppy-sharp. Ask me how I know...
My little Monument
So we were done... & pointed the red & dusty Travis back towards the top of the trail & our accommodation for an early night. That's when the full moon poked its head over the horizon & we screeched to a halt & marvelled & photographed. If I never take another photo of Monument Valley... & I hope I do, those moon shots are a great way to go out
The oil warning light flashed up on Travis's dashboard as we headed for the little food court near our cabin, another reason to get the car swapped over either in Las Vegas, or St George in the coming days. Gary is sure we'll be fine, but he's in his own back yard (kind of), in his own vehicle - whereas we're strangers in an increasingly strange land, piloting an unfamiliar behemoth around desert trails with 'zero oil life' according to the warning light. Even though he's probably right, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution. If it was my car, I'd probably go another 500 miles (then walk 500 more to the nearest mechanic...)
A cheap fried chicken dinner, tasty & not huge... accompanied by Gary's cask wine on the porch of our cabin - I think we've finally become Americans. We certainly feel naturalised
Packing & organising bags & suitcases for a 7.40am departure tomorrow. The sun will already be up - quite a novelty after the last few days
