Grand Canyon and Monument Valley

While I figure out the new design for the photos section (getting rid of popup's etc) I thought I would post these pics in the blogg...

So I am back in Japan next week and I thought I would travel the US a bit before I go back (as one does) - Was thinking of going to New York but thought that I have had enough of cities and it was time to try something a bit different - and what better than to spend time in Arizona and Utah - home of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley.


Above:Grand Canyon South Rim. Absolutely none of the photos or video clips that I took of the Grand Canyon were able to express what it was actually like to be there. We stayed in a small town called Tusayan which is just seven miles south of Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.


Above:Monument Valley in Utah. Monument Valley used to be a plateau which has been eroded by wind and rain over millions of years to leave behind a valley of monuments.


Above:Monument Valley is vast and stretches over 30,000 acres. The drive from Tusayan took about 3 and a half hours but was definitely worth it. Just be careful when driving back to where ever you are getting to as I imagine you will stay at Monument Valley to enjoy the sunset - the highways in America don't have any lighting.


Above:The best time of day to enjoy Monument Valley is about 3PM (November) as the sun sets at about 5.30PM. The shadows that the sun cast on the red rock are stunning.


Above:Once you get to Monument Valley, you pay a small fee of $5 per person to enter the Navajo Tribal Park - I recommend you to take your car in as the park is huge.