Monument Valley

Goodbye Moab, hello Monument Valley, where sandstone buttes and mesas (towering rock formations, sometimes yellow, gold, crimson red, even shades of blue depending on time of day - colours change constantly) dominate. These ancient peaks that rise up from dusty desert plains seem so familiar - not surprising considered they have been used as the backdrop for so many Western movies - John Wayne's classic Stagecoach to name just one. The great film director John Ford was the man who put MV on the map for cinema fans worldwide, setting nine movies here and making a young Wayne a star. Now another JW has been here, though his 'star' hasn't quite shone so brightly (still hoping). Where's John Ford when a man needs him? The OK Corral maybe, with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.