Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

After having settled in in our cabin we drove the 17-mile scenic route through Monument Valley in Arizona, USA. The roads are not sealed so it was a bit too bumpy here and there. The advantage is that we had to drive slowly which gave us more time to enjoy the scenery around us. West Mitten Butte was the first of many buttes we encountered.

Having seen so many buttes on our drive through Monument Valley in Arizona, USA it was hard to figure out which one was which. Luckily the geotags in my photos could clarify this. These beautiful ones are East Mitten Butte & Merrick Butte.

Taking a moment to admire Elephant Butte up close while on our 17-mile drive through Monument Valley in Arizona, USA. Stunning and impressive rock!

Camel Butte up close & the Thumb in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. We didn't really notice to be honest, but some people actually see a camel in this huge formation. Others apparently see a tribe of people. How the shadows fall (time of day) will determine a lot of what you see, so I guess we weren't there at the right time.

Looking at the Rain God Mesa in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. We loved the arch in this high flat cliff. Looks like it was carved out but was obviously created by erosion.

Following the road along Rain God Mesa in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. This large rectangular rock formation with a dark purple-like coating on the flat cliff edges, which imitate a wet area on the golden sandstone, thus the name Rain God Mesa, marks the geological center of Monument Valley. Navajos have farmed the sandy soils around Rain God Mesa for centuries.

Spearhead Mesa is a spectacular and largde rock formation in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. We found the details of this part of the mesa to be astonishing. Spearhead Mesa is located at the north eastern end of Monument Valley.

Admiring the North Window overview in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. This part of the Monument Valley area provides a great view of the mittens and other buttes in the valley. It's a classic Southwest USA location - it's been in a lot of western movies.

Enjoying a spectacular view from the North Window overlook in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. North Window overlook is between North Window Butte and Elephant Butte. In case you were wondering, there is no South Window overlook.

We were very pleased that we had booked a cabin near the edge of Monument Valley in Arizona, USA. It provided for a great view over this amazing landscape, especially at sunrise and sunset. Here we were looking at Merrick Butte at sunset.

The Mittens at sunset in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. Both the East and West Mitten buttes were highlighted perfectly by the warm sunlight. We truly enjoyed watching this fabulous landscape turning dark.

When it was getting darker and darker, the view from our cabin got better and better. We loved this awesome view of the full moon over Spearhead Mesa at sunset in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA.

I had set my alarm to go off way before sunrise, but somehow did not think of the fact that Monument Valley had a one-hour time differerence with Arizona. I woke up just after the sun had peeked over the horizon. Still in time to catch this spectacular sunrise from the cabin in Monument Valley, Arizona, USA.

We had seen this view on many pictures over the years but could not resist to stop at Forrest Gump Point in Utah, USA and make one of our own.

Interesting experience as there were hardly any decent parking options. Yet, quite some people were there and some of them tried playing a scene from the movie by walking a little back and climbing up back again. Of course that needed to be filmed but they had to continuously start over because of oncoming traffic. Making just one photo was a lot easier.