Monument Valley

Monument Valley is one of those places that you’ve already seen before you go there. Often, it looks something like this

We drove the 17-mile loop that when through the park, which allows for some less familiar vantage points

And I was lucky enough to score a picture complete with a wild horse.

It’s a travel cliche, of course, but often the best parts of a trip are the surprises that happen off the beaten path. We camped both nights in Valley of the Gods, which is like a miniature Monument Valley, but one that you can get up close and personal with. Here’s our campsite for the first night:

And on our search for our second camping site, we found an awesome little side route with views like this

but no good spots. Bummer.

We returned to Valley of the Gods and scored an even better site with Monument Valley in the distance. Around the time we were pulling in, a beautiful sunset was brewing, and I discovered that BOTH OF MY CAMERA BATTERIES WERE DEAD. No worries, I thought, the cell phone will do. I managed to snap this one picture

before it died, too. Needless to say, the sunset was gorgeous that night, and the sunrise the next morning–even better. I’m sure I was supposed to learn a lesson from this, but I’m not sure if it was

1) Sometimes you should simply enjoy the scenery instead of looking at it through a viewfinder. Live in the moment!

or

2) Dumbass, always check to make sure that your batteries are fully charged before a big trip.

Probably both?

A little sad to say goodbye to Monument Valley

but there were some more sights to see on the way out, like Agathla Peak

and Owl Rock