Down into the Monument Valley floor of Utah, Arizona

On a cold but sunny morning in March, we drove down into the Monument Valley floor from the View Hotel where we were staying the night before. The roads in the valley are unpaved, but are easily navigated by cars, since they are mostly flat. There are more distant areas where you may need four-wheel drive. There are tour companies that can take you to those areas which are accessible only via four-wheel drives.

The valley floor is perhaps a few hundred feet from the hotel, which sits above, overlooking the valley. The sun was bright, and the valley looked starkly beautiful once we were down there. The buttes appeared more majestic as we saw them from down there.

We drove to the famous "Horse View Point" (or the "John Ford Point", in honor of the Hollywood actor John Ford, who famously rode a horse to this point) where a western movie was shot with the epic view in the background. There were opportunities to recreate the famous scene, with a real horse, of course, at the minimal cost of $5. If you are into posing as Hollywood heroes, you should definitely not let such an opportunity go to waste.

Near the "Camel Butte", on the way to "The Thumb"

Driving further on into the valley floor, past iconic landmarks such as "The Thumb", these small sand dunes remind you that you are in a desert, after all.

More iconic buttes can be seen from near the Navajo cemetery. That is the "Rooster Rock" in the distance.

At the "Artists Viewpoint". You get a fabulous view of a large part of the valley floor from here. Wonder how many western movies included this view.

We decide to come back to "Linda's Indian Fry Bread Stand" near the John Ford Point. The little coffee shop strangely did not, and did, at the same time, belong in the background scenery comprising of the "Three Sisters" buttes.

It was surreal to have a steaming cup of coffee sitting in the starkly beautiful Monument Valley floor. It felt completely anachronistic sitting there with a million year old view in the background. 

For those familiar with (Asian) Indian cuisine, the (Native) Indian Fry Bread is reminiscent of the Batura.

You may be surprised, but there was a veritable supermarket of trinkets near the John Ford Point. We did our best to support local economy, and bought a pair of turquoise earrings from the Native Indian shop. He told us of how his family has lived in the valley floor for many generations. His gentleness and humbleness was really something I remember to this day.