Time to Leave
After 2 1/2 weeks, it was time to leave Farmington and Mom and Pop's RV Park. We said goodbye to Mike and Ginny last night because they were leaving town for a few days. They made a point of coming over because neither of us wanted to miss saying goodbye. Carol and I have reached an age where we start talking about the last times we'll be going places. It's very likely this was our last trip to Farmington because our favorite activities here require extensive hiking. We did a very good job of filling in the hikes and areas we missed on last year's trip, so we don't have a sense that we missed out on the best places. It would feel a bit strange to come back again since Mike and Ginny won't be around running the campground. They were an important part of the experience for us.
Monument Valley
We had an easy 2 1/2 hour drive today to Monument Valley. The rain cleared out in the early morning hours, and the gray overcast turned into beautiful cumulus clouds filling the skies. We drove through mesa grasslands cut by steep-sided washes. As we neared Kayenta, the scenery changed to slickrock sandstone dotted by junipers. Comb Ridge defined the northern horizon. If we weren't driving the motorhome towing the Explorer, we would have stopped several times to photograph the stunning scenery. Cotton ball clouds contrasted with extinct volcanoes that were framed by gaps in the light sandstone of Comb Ridge.
We were pleasantly surprised at the improvements we saw in Kayenta. There has been a lot of new construction, including a new shopping center.
We checked in at Goulding's Campground just outside Monument Valley, got set up, and ate lunch. When we entered Monument Valley, there were still a few good clouds in the north. Our plan was to shoot the north-facing areas first. The catch was that Scenic Drive is a one-way road around the loop, and it goes south first.
Our first stop was John Ford's Point, which was named for John Ford the movie producer who used Monument Valley as the location for several of his westerns. The classic shot is a Native American on a horse standing on a promontory. An enterprising family now lets you sit on a horse on this famous promontory to have your picture taken for a small fee. They even supply the Stetson. How can you pass that up? Carol couldn't, so we now have a picture of Cowgirl Carol. It's a cool idea, and the guy and his horse stayed busy.
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Our next major stop was Spider Rock. When I first starting coming to Monument Valley, we could drive right to the base of the sand dunes that surround Spider Rock. Now, you have to shoot it from a road turnout unless you "rent" a guide. There were a few clouds floating overhead to add some interest, but the lighting was pretty flat.
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Our final stop was Artist's Point, which was the area that I thought would hold the most promise. But by the time we had driven nearly the entire loop, all the clouds that filled the northern sky were gone. The sun had moved to the opposite side of the formations, and Artist Point was a complete bust.
Since sunset was less than an hour away, we hustled back up to the main parking lot near the Visitor Center. I wanted to shoot sunset in front of the same two rocks I had used on my first trip here over 30 years ago. As we drove back up the Scenic Drive toward the parking lot, we could see all the photographers lining the ridge. They reminded me of birds on an electric line.
I found the two rocks I wanted to use as a foreground for my shots, but they were very popular places for family candids. I managed to get a few shots when shadows from people standing around weren't covering the rocks or when there was a pause in people climbing the rocks to get their pictures taken. It was a bit frustrating trying to get an unobstructed shot, but it was also VERY entertaining. People were there from all over the world, each with their own take on what would be the perfect picture or selfie. My favorite was an elderly Asian couple. They must have been in their 80's, at least. The woman was wearing a long shirt and see-through leotards. She was all of about 4' 8" tall. She gave me an apologetic look while she put her water bottle down and then walked right in front of me to climb the rock so her husband could take here picture. But she didn't want just any picture. She showed off her balance 
by standing on one foot and posing. Then she would re-balance and do another pose. It finally dawned on me that I should be photographing her. I missed the best part of her "show," but I managed to photograph her husband photographing her. At this point, it was cute. But then it was her turn to photograph her husband. He would stand off to the side of the scene with a very tough-guy look. Now, this guy is probably 85, not even 5 feet tall, and couldn't have weighed more than 120 pounds. But he had the tough-guy look down pat. Then, he would turn a few degrees and have his wife take another photograph. This went on for about ten minutes. By the time they were done, the sun was nearly at the horizon and the good light was gone.
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