Longtime followers of this blog know that I love walking where film productions have trodden before me. Monument Valley is Nature’s ultimate soundstage. It appeared in scores of westerns back in the genre’s heyday (Stagecoach, The Searchers, Once Upon a Time in the West) and more recently shows up when filmmakers want to harken back to the genre’s heyday (Back To The Future Part III, Doctor Who, and the forthcoming Lone Ranger flick).
As we spied the iconic shapes in the distance, we got a show worthy of Hollywood: a dust storm swirling around the very formations I wanted to explore. Undaunted, we pressed on.
Straddling the Utah-Arizona border, Monument Valley lies within the Navajo Nation. It has a very National Park feel: they charge a small admission fee, there’s a modern visitor center, and you are allowed to drive a short loop, while a tour is required for the longer loop. We wisely opted not to drive my parents’ minivan on any of the loops; besides the dust and high winds, the rutted roads didn’t look minivan-friendly.
With Karen safely ensconced in the visitor center, I joined a tour and was rewarded with Nature’s majesty and movie history, all wrapped up in one.
-
- The road to Monument Valley…
-
- … which appeared on Doctor Who last season
-
- The Doctor and Amy Pond share a scenic hug
-
- Doctor Who’s crew
-
- A windblown pose at the visitor center
-
- Panorama including the Mittens, so named because- well, you can see why
-
- Just about as cool as this minivan is ever gonna look. I wanted to keep it that way…
-
- … so I paid for a tour and let someone else bang up his vehicle
-
- John Ford’s Point, named in honor of the film director. This horseman shows up every day and poses for tourists…
-
- … and apparently the new Lone Ranger stole his act. Here’s a still from the film’s website.
-
- The Lone Ranger also seems to be referencing Back To The Future 3…
-
- … capturing the view from BTTF’s drive-in theater
-
- When Marty time travels into the past, we get a better look at the scenery
-
- Meanwhile, back in the real world, I pose and the horseman goes off duty
-
- Our guide points out petroglyphs
-
- The Sun’s Eye
-
- The Submarine, so named because- well, you can see why
-
- Totem Pole
-
- A view with The Rooster at far left
-
- The loneliest Porta-Potty on Earth
-
- I’m nearly blown away while trying to pose for a photo
You were smart not to drive the road there. It was brutal and our car was covered in red dirt. Your tour took you to many more places than we were able to get to in our car. It was truly a place not to miss though.
As my dad said in an email, and I quote, “DO NOT DO WHAT WE DID!” We took his advice on that one.
…and don’t forget about the cop cult classic Electra Glide in Blue (1973) starring the infamous Robert Blake. Here’s clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvVUtmsNYSU&feature=related. Happy Thanksgiving.
Somehow, I had forgotten that one. Definitely made use of the scenery.