Monument Valley & Arches National Park

Spent yesterday driving to and touring Monument Valley, ended up in Bluff for the night and then drove to Arches National Park today.  To be clear, when I say "touring" Monument Valley, I mean being driven around the rock formations for 3 hours while my mother tried to get our drunk Navajo guide to give up the goods about how Monument Valley was essentially just a big amusement park built and maintained for the benefit of tourists. The conversation went something like this: "So, who built these?" "Nobody man, it was like God just dropped them here. Boom! tee hee hee... Voila! Voila!" "No, but I mean who formed them?" "It was like nature and god and the spirits and stuff. tee hee hee... Voila! Voila!" "uh huh, okay, so who maintains them now?" "Nobody I guess, except when we pray to the spirits to be protecting them 'n' stuff. tee hee hee... Voila! Voila!" "Okay, so you're telling me, nobody comes out here to maintain them? To make sure they keep their shapes?" "Nobody man! It's like Voila! tee hee hee..." This pretty much went on for 3 hours, with brief pauses in the interrogation when our guide would spontaneously burst into song, followed my a fit of laughter and capped off with a "Voila!"

Monument Valley: coffee pot, tea pot and sugar bowl. tee hee hee... Voila! Voila!

Monument Valley: John Ford's Point. From here he directed John Wayne (and others) in the wash below.  He directed seven westerns in Monument Valley.

Mexican Hat Rock, outside Mexican Hat en route from Monument Valley to Bluff

Arches Nat'l Park: Balanced Rock

 

Delicate Arch through some other arch along the way (not positive that's its official name, but wouldn't be surprised if it is. Whoever named the arches, really wasn't trying to hide the ball.)

Delicate Arch