MONUMENT VALLEY, ARIZONA - JUST BEFORE SUNRISE

It's a wet and stormy morning here in SoCal as we wake up from what is reportedly 

the most intense weather system we've seen in a couple of decades. It will be a sad morning 

for many as light breaks and we can see the damage wrought by the wind and rain.

So I need a zen moment. Sunrise in the Monument Valley is a perfect place

 to have that moment of peace and tranquility. 

MONUMENT VALLEY TRIBAL PARK, AZ - EXPERIMENT, "PICTURE 0045" Number 3

Of all the shots in this little series of "0045" images, this is the one which probably needs no identification.

Monument Valley. One of the most stunning, picturesque and serene places on this Earth.

MONUMENT VALLEY, UT - TUCKED INTO THE CANYON

Tucked into a small canyon behind the famous Goulding's Lodge is the village of Oljato-Monument Valley. A post office, school and dozens of residences melding into the rocky gap between two mesas.

In the distance, the suggestion of eternity is held in the silent rock formations of Monument Valley proper. It's a remote and stunning part of the world.

And a handful of Native Americans call it home.

SUNRISE, SUNSET

“There's always a story. It's all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything's got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” 
                  
                                                               ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

It seems appropriate that I am writing this entry in the pre-dawn hours, tucked tightly into a cocoon of darkness. In just a little over an hour, as I write this, the sun will rise and a new day will begin.

Sunrise, Long Beach, CA

Sunrise is a magical time for many of us -- though I'll laughingly admit there's a large group of Americans who only theorize about sunrise, having never actually witnessed one for themselves. But the slow ascent of day, the gradual brightening of the sky to the East, with the sounds of birds as an accompanying orchestra, is one which when you pause to observe is a wonderful thing.

Sunset, Dana Point, CA

Likewise, at the end of every day the mirror of the dawn occurs: dusk. When the sun retreats back into the night and we all pack up our lives for a short time and rest to await the next day. Well, many of us rest...and that kind of depends upon which day of the week it is.

Both dawn and dusk are favorites for photographers. The lighting is dramatic and intense, giving us both inspiration and opportunity. Either directly shooting the sun as it rises or descends, or using the light from it as it falls upon some other target of our attentions.

Sunrise, Mt Haleakala, Maui, HI

I have been fortunate to have seen some truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets -- including a few of them which qualify as "Life Events". Seeing the sun rise from the top of Mount Haleakala in Hawaii was a truly inspirational moment, which I've described here, with the beauty and intensity of the sunrise over the massive volcanic crater, accompanied by the beautiful voice of a Hawaiian singer greeting the new day with a song.

Sunset from Mallory Pier, Key West, FL

Party time...

The carnival atmosphere of a sunset in Florida's Key West as seen from Mallory Pier is a fun and festive event as hundreds of people gather to watch a flotilla of sailboats dance across the horizon as they're silhouetted by the retreating sun.

Bodies of water seem to be appropriate canvases for the breaking of day or setting of the sun. The reflective nature enhances and frames the sun in a way that is remarkably profound and -- thankfully -- quite photogenic. And it oftentimes is an event which we will remember long after the sun has set and we've returned to our regular activities. It's a moment of pause, of -- pardon the pun -- reflection.

Sunrise on the tundra

As a photographer I have been to and seen many different spots in this world, but inevitably some of the most impactful moments have been in the very early morning hours when I walk, usually alone, around a place as it slowly wakes up. To see the sun as it comes up over the ocean, or a mountain, or the flat expanse of the Canadian tundra. Sunrises are mostly solitary events.

Sunsets are communal, shared, and more celebratory in a way. It's not the end of the day for many people, just the ending of daylight. As such, watching the sun go down is a group effort, while the sunrise is not. There may be one or two other souls who have similarly gotten up early, grabbed a cup of coffee and wandered out to see the morning's light. I described one such sunrise here.

These are some of my favorite places to see the sun awaken and also fall to sleep.

Sunset, Grand Canyon, AZ

Last vestige of light over Joshua Tree NP, CA

Sunset aboard the MSY Wind Surf - Adriatic Sea

Sunset, Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HI

Sunrise, Monument Valley, AZ/UT

Just before sunrise, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI

Sunset, Washington, DC

Sunset, Nice, France

Sunrise, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

Sunrise, Sedona, AZ

Sunset, Santa Fe, NM

Sunset, Las Vegas

Sunrise off the coast of Mexico

Sunrise, Cayman Islands

Sunrise just off the coast of Panama

Sunset, Cartagena, Colombia

Sunset, Kona, Big Island, HI

ROAD TRIP: MONUMENT VALLEY

"I was astounded — the scale, it feels so vast and epic." 
                                            - Matt Smith, Doctor Who

Sunrise

There are places in this world, iconic natural wonders with a history and legend which have grown up around them, that are nearly every serious Traveler's bucket list. Ularu (Ayers Rock). Angel Falls. Norway's fjords. The Na Pali coast on Kauai. The Great Barrier Reef. Wadi Rum in Jordan.

All astounding and awe-inspiring sights, and all worthy of their reputations. There is a profoundness and a serenity in each of them which belies our frenetic human pace and requires that we just stop and admire the grandeur of nature.

In the American southwest are two world-class icons of nature: The Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley.

I've been to the Grand Canyon, but never, in 53 years, to Monument Valley. Last year, it was time.

Timing-wise, our arrival into the valley was particularly bad. It was dark. Pitch black as only a road through a truly rural place can be. The infrequent light -- from a  porch or overhead -- was the only illumination. Even the Moon had elected to hide. It being early December, there was a cold chill in the air which added to the mystery and mood.


We approached from the West, heading up highway 163 out of Kayenta for thirty or so miles into the darkness, trusting that the side road to our hotel  would somehow be labeled in a way we could actually find it. (It was.) We followed the instructions given and wound our way to The View Hotel, an aptly-named and wonderfully placed property with, what we would discover, has one of the best views in the world. But not at 9pm at night when we finally rolled in from the long drive from Las Vegas.



We checked in, disappointed that our arrival didn't have the amazing grandeur we'd hoped, but realized sunrise the next morning would be an amazing thing. We ate a late meal at the hotel's restaurant and sent our friends from Perth to their room while we found our own. My wife was feeling under the weather, which would result in a 2am trip to the Kayenta Indian Health Service clinic -- not a proscribed adventure -- where they took very good care of her, but which cost us hours of sleep before we returned to the hotel at the still-dark 6am...three times through the valley with nothing but blackness and the occasional loom of something huge in the dark.

The sunrise view from The View Hotel

My wife climbed into bed and was soon asleep, courtesy proper medications from the IHS (top marks for those folks, they really did a tremendous job), while I decided it was too close to sunrise for me to pack it in. Once I'm awake for a day I'm awake, even if I'm exhausted. So I read a bit and waited for sunrise. I wasn't disappointed. 

Agaltha Peak (El Capitan), just south of the park

At the earliest stages of dawn I planted myself -- warmly wrapped -- on the balcony to our room. As the light began to grow I realized just how wonderful the view from The View truly was, with the twin shapes of "The Mittens" and the Merrick Butte prominently front and center. There was no sound save a soft breeze. I found myself giddy with excitement. The Monument Valley has held a special place in my heart and list of must-does since childhood, when my mother would tell us stories  of when her family would make the two-day trek from Southern California to northeastern Arizona to visit. Stories of the vistas and the adventure and the one time a slightly intoxicated Native American tried to buy my mother from her family in order to marry her -- I'd guess this might be slightly exaggerated, but how do I know? -- to talk about how amazing the sights and sounds and smells of Monument Valley were in person.

The sun continued to climb, and every few minutes I would set up a shot -- using a couple of different cameras -- documenting the gently emerging morning over the buttes. In my lifetime it is one of two "best sunrises" I have seen, the other being the dawn on Mount Haleakala in Hawaii. But in this case, I was alone on the balcony of my hotel, with nobody else in sight.

Slowly the day unfolded, and I met our friends for breakfast, regaling them with the overnight expedition to Kayenta. (They demanded to know why we hadn't alerted them, but I let them know there seemed to be little need to disturb their rest as well as our own.) So, my wife rechecked and confirming she just wanted to sleep, we three headed out onto the road to explore the nearby countryside., the images here give you an idea of just how amazing the Valley is, reminding me, as a stated above, just how tremendous the natural world is, and just what our place is in the universe.

Quite an accomplishment for a bunch of rocks in the desert.

Highway 163 as it enters the park