As Western As It Gets

SONY ILCE-7R (28mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO125)

The South West is full of iconic landscapes and this is maybe the most iconic of them all. The Monument Valley.

On my first trip to the USA we had a clear list of places we have to visit. And I’m sure this list looks very much the same for most visitors from Europe: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Highway 1, Yosemite, Death Valley, Las Vegas, …

But as a film lover for me it was also always clear that I had to come here. Monument Valley.

SONY ILCE-6000 (31mm, f/9, 1/200 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (27mm, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (24mm, f/10, 1/125 sec, ISO100)

As you can see we arrived a little too early so we needed to wait for better light. Of course we could drive down the valley with Chevi Tahoe but we experienced that the year before. Been there, done it. And a recommendation: it is truly pointless to do that. You will be shaken around in your car and if you rented a sedan there is a high chance that you might damage front spoilers or the underbody.

The best view is still from the top. That’s why the visitor centre is located right there. Sometimes it pays off to leave the beaten path but here it doesn’t. Better to take a rest, have a coffee and wait for the light to change.

You can even have food on the terrace like we did but be careful. While the view is hard to beat the food is horrible. I understand that those major tourist spots are hardly known to offer gourmet food but come on! What was on offer here was horrible. You got to be really hungry to get that stuff down. To their credit we didn’t get sick but if that’s the best you can say about the food served it’s hardly a recommendation. If you can’t prepare proper food why not simple put a CarlsJr in there.

But you don’t come here for the food. That’s true for Monument Valley and mostly for the USA in general. I’m aware that there are excellent restaurants here too in major cities but what you get while on the road is far less sophisticated. I have no problem with that. I like a good burger or a steak and those can be found almost anywhere.

SONY ILCE-7R (35mm, f/9, 1/160 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (20mm, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (20mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
SONY ILCE-7R (28mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO125)
Canon EOS 6D (123mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO100)

On our way to the car I switched to my Canon 6D plus the 70-200/2.8 IS to get some images of the visitors in front of the most iconic butte. This is a location that you must not miss but honestly I think it is more a “drive through” attraction. I mean it is something where you stop to take a couple of shots and then move on. Sure you can ride a horse or rent an all terrain vehicle but I’d rather spend more time elsewhere where I can go on a hike like in Zion, Bryce or Arches NP.

It is spectacularly beautiful though and a must see on your trip through the South West.

Canon EOS 6D (142mm, f/3.2, 1/1250 sec, ISO100)