- Sunrise in the dunes in front of the Totem Poles in Monument Valley
- Afternoon swim in the pool
- Sunset over the Mystery Valley
The alarm goes off at 4 a.m. An hour later we met Fred at The View Hotel. Together with an Italian couple, we start the sunrise tour through the world-famous Monument Valley. The valley is arguably the symbol of the Wild West, from countless Hollywood films to advertising posters everywhere, the famous rock formations serve as backdrops. Fred attaches importance to driving off the usual tourist routes and is a big photo fanatic, exactly what we wanted. It is still dark night when we set out on the horrific slope. If you get stuck in the potholes and sand holes, you have to shell out a tow fee of $ 2,000. In any case, we are happy to have booked a tour that leads further into the valley than is allowed for self-drivers. Fred wants us to go straight to a good point to catch the first light of day. Since there are no clouds to be seen today, which could change color when the sun rises, he opted for the sand dunes in front of the Totem Pole rocks. Getting up early was more than worth it. We are rewarded with a magnificent sunrise and take some outstanding shots. Then we drive from many of the sights of the wild valley. To our astonishment, hardly any other tourists get lost in the more remote part of the valley. We make photo stops at some rock arches, other spectacular rock formations, petroglyphs and settlement remains of the Indians, lookout points, a rotting barn and some of the free-roaming mustangs. When the sun rises higher and the light gets too hard, we end the sunrise tour after 4.5 hours.
We spend the afternoon surfing, skyping, relaxing, updating blogs and in the pool. A welcome refreshment in today's heat of 35 degrees. After a snack we are ready for the sunset tour. This time it should go through the adjacent Mystery Valley. But first we drive through Horse Valley and climb one of the table mountains to photograph the valley through the Teardrop Arch. The piste leads in parts through deep sand, which we can only cross thanks to four-wheel drive. Again we look at some rock arches, Indian ruins and rock formations. Finally we drive up a hair-raising slope to a hill. From here we have a great view over the western side of the valley. Again we take a lot of wonderful photos and just sit there and enjoy the color spectacle. Before one night we drive back to the View and say goodbye to Fred. The tour itself met our high expectations, even exceeded them. Totally exhausted after the long day, we drive back to the camp. A cool drink and soon afterwards to bed.
