Sunset and Sunrise in Monument Valley, UT

I'm so excited that you're still following along!!! 

By the time we made it to Monument Valley, the sun was already setting.  We walked straight to the large balcony after checking into the hotel, and watched the sun go down. It was strange not to feel more awe at the sight of the towering rock monuments. To find the sunset just ho-hum that day.  I thought about that later.   How do you sustain  a high level of awe when you are seeing so many places that equal in beauty and sheer size?

Don`t get me wrong...the sunset was lovely. The towering shadows crept across the dessert floor like long fingers getting longer. Fun to try different settings and try some Ansel Adams monochrome type effects.  And then it was done.  This valley, the scene of many John Wayne Westerns, had gone to sleep for the night.

I thought the sunrise would be more of the same.  But it wasn't.  And I love that.  I love the unexpected.  These are some of my favourite photos of the trip!  The scene before me that morning  revealed the amazing pastel dessert sky that is so prevalent in South Western American art.  It is so neat to experience the moments that inspire pottery and weaving patterns.  And the next time you see the art or the pottery, you realize the patterns are from nature itself...because you saw it with your own eyes.   And buying a souvenir for someone else...just wouldn't evoke the same emotion in them as it did in you.  (So just keep it for yourself! tee hee hee)

Next stop: Monument Valley Floor