Posts from Dooley in thread „Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah“

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from Frank

    You were lucky to have found a wife who loves the films of John Wayne, I'm still looking for it ...
    The last holiday I have been in those places and even now I stop to watch the hundreds of photos ... and dream ...


    Ciao Frank,
    I am indeed very luck.
    My wife had little choice; now she has embraced the films of the Duke, and on occasion, even requests them!
    On Sunday she watched True Grit for the first time and said how much more she enjoyed it to the Coen brothers version.

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    [quote='chester7777','http://dukewayne.com/bb/index.php?thread/&postID=111360#post111360']So they allowed Eagle hunting? . . . just kidding. These Bronzes must have cost a pretty penny, they are outstanding !


    They were mighty impressive: The Chief standing approx 6ft tall and The Cowboy being over 10ft!

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from chester7777

    Thank you for your input, yes, I think horse back riding might be the way to go, if they have large horses.
    Last time I wanted to go horseback riding ,the stable owner said,"We don't have any Clydesdale's", much to my surprise. I found out even horses have weight limits. )-:


    Chester :newyear:


    They do have large horses.
    They're all Mustangs so hardy and used to the conditions.

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from chester7777

    Wow, the weather was behaving ! Beautiful !


    Is there still any things reminiscent of the Searchers filming still around?


    Chester :newyear:


    Hi Chester,


    No, not really but the locations are so integral to the film that if, like me, you know the film scene by scene you'll be able to immerse yourself by standing pretty much where film history was made.

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from chester7777

    Dooley,
    Just curious, was the hotel, or Monument Valley in general, seem very crowded this time of he year? And from your pictures, the weather was behaving?


    Chester :newyear:



    Hi Chester,


    The hotel I would say was approx 70% full, but to be honest you don't really notice apart from at breakfast and in the evening as most people go off exploring. The only other place to stay which is really in the thick of it is Goulding's, the Hotel not the lodge!, but if you want to see the mittens etc. you have to go to The View anyway, and pay to enter the 'park', whereas guests at The View don't have to pay.


    Other things to note: you cannot go wandering around Monument Valley without a guide and 'the loop', which you can do by car, is a track and so, so bumpy it'll rattle the teeth out of your head! Best bet is going around on horseback, it also feels fantastic in such an iconic location.


    The weather was great the first couple of days then it started off pretty overcast in the morning but the sun burnt away the clouds by early afternoon.


    Hope that helps!


    ATB


    Peter (Dooley)

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from chester7777

    That hotel looks like just the kind of place one would want to stay at when visiting Monument Valley. Duke stayed at Goulding's Lodge, most of the times he visited. Which, at the time may well been the only hotel in town.
    How far from Goulding's is the View? Did you visit Goulding's during your stay?
    Did you find much of John Wayne's or John Ford's history displayed around Monument Valley?


    Chester :newyear:


    Hi Chester,


    Gouldings in less than 5 miles from The View Hotel. In fact it's a straight road for 4 miles from The View, you arrive at a crossroad and Goulding's Lodge is less than a mile on the other side.
    We had thought of staying there but The View actually has the uninterrupted views, unsurprisingly, from every room.
    I will load pictures of The View and Goulding's later.
    Looks like you guys are going to see most of my holiday snaps!


    ATB
    Peter (Dooley)

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from ethanedwards

    Great to know that Peter,
    if and when I get there, that sounds like a good place,
    and from the web-site it looks just the ticket


    The View Hotel


    Hi Keith,
    It's a lovely place. Very low key, nothing over the top, but that suits the locale perfectly: how could you compete with that scenery! I have some pics of the hotel too! Can I post those here?
    It is run pretty much 100% by locals from the Navajo nation who were all very friendly.
    The one thing I will mention is they stop serving evening meals at 8.30pm, which for someone from the UK was a shock! We got caught out the day we went Mustang trekking around Monument Valley, lovely guide, again a local from the Navajo nation, but after 4 hours in the saddle, we got back ravenous and ended up eating Cheetos in our room! The meal the next evening more than made up for it. I had the 'Duke steak' which was wonderful.
    ATB
    Peter

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Quote from chester7777

    Dooley,
    You may of mentioned this, where did you stay while at Monument Valley?


    Chester :newyear:


    Hi Chester,
    We stayed at The View Hotel, aptly named, Monument Valley. All the rooms overlook 'The Mittens' and the sunrise shots were taken from our balcony.
    Great base to set out and explore too; we did a huge amount of driving around and discovered some amazing places.
    Truly a fantastic trip! I've been back a week and am missing being there so much.


    Regards,


    Peter

  • Honeymoon in Monument Valley, Utah

    Hi guys,
    here's another B&W shot.
    Bit of info, I watched the John Ford / Monument Valley docu on the Fort Apache Blu ray before my wedding/honeymoon and was intrigued about the technique they used to get the sky and clouds so dramatic in the film.
    I've 'borrowed' this nugget of info to get the skies in my BW pics to hopefully have a vintage John Ford feel!