A man's gotta do

The highlight of this trip for my Dad was always going to be Monument Valley.  It was his first time here, but being a massive fan of westerns he recognised it all; it's something of a pilgrimage for him as he retraces the steps of the big Johns - Ford and Wayne - from Stagecoach to She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and The Searchers.  Dad saw them all on first release.

I'd been here once before, when I tried to drive Vince and Christine's Honda Civic along the 17-mile Valley Loop dirt road (sorry about that) so this time we booked a tour.  It was worth every penny, not just for seeing the right way to drive up a sand dune but also for the off-tourist route that official guides are allowed to take.  We saw the mesas, buttes and arches close up, as well as traditional (and modern) homes of the Navajo who live in the valley.

Larry, our guide, also knew everything.  He took us through the geology, the myths, the politics (he's for Hillary...as I believe everyone now is) and - happily for Dad - all the stories around the westerns filmed here.  Turns out the Johns were big friends of the Navajo, even organising helicopter food drops during a particularly harsh winter.  "A man's got to have a code, a creed to live by," The Duke once said, and it seems he believed it.  You can get it on magnets in the gift shop.

Pete enjoyed playing in the red sand until he was covered, and I took another 20,000 pics.  I've seen a lot of the world (Somerset, Durham, the Isle of Wight) and I have to say that, between Monument Valley and Yosemite, the western USA does have some of the most magical landscapes on the planet.  John Wayne agrees with me, so that argument's over.

The best thing about Flagstaff?  The free childcare.

Not sure who's winning.



Ready to follow Route 66 into cowboy country.

And here we are.

Recreating the last shot from The Searchers.  Sort of.

The most exciting thing ever in Pete's life happened when he got to sleep in the top bunk.

My nighttime photography proves to be as good as ever.

The classic.

The view from breakfast.

Another 10c in Pete's acceptable family photograph account.

One day, son...

When you think of the geological age of some of things you see around here, it's staggering.

In a traditional Navajo hogan.

Down into the valley for our tour now, looking up.

More pictures of large rocks.

W for John Wayne, so Larry told us.

Pete enjoys the biggest sandpit he's ever seen.



Drawings from around 700AD.

Dad from around 1933AD.

Larry drove us, in this, everywhere.  It was humbling.

"You can take an artistic shot up there," our guide pointed out, unaware of my limitations.

More rocks.

Rocks in a puddle.  Honestly - John Ford has nothing on my cinematography.