The centerpiece of our entire road trip had been Bob’s desire to visit Monument Valley. When I last left you hanging, we were in the midst of an open-air jeep tour of the region on the morning of Tuesday, March 29, 2011, but we had yet to cross from Mystery Valley into the very familiar terrain of Monument Valley. This posting will complete the tour – along with sharing a few screen captures from some of the films that made Monument Valley famous. The following locations are all located just over the border of Arizona, whereas the previous ones were all in the southernmost part of Utah.
After our tour guide D-O-N had made us a nice hearty hamburger lunch, we loaded back up in the jeep and headed into Monument Valley territory. Thankfully it had warmed up a bit by noon, so this nearly-one-hour trek wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I sunk into my hooded sweatshirt and bore the journey.
When we arrived, we first checked out the familiar sites of West (or Left) Mitten, East or (Right) Mitten, and Merrick Butte. These sites will be immediately recognizable to those who have seen such films as The Searchers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Stagecoach, or even more recent favorites such as National Lampoon’s Vacation, Forrest Gump, or Back to the Future Part III. Over the two and a half hours we explored this region.
The camp is right under Left Mitten in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Right Mitten and Merrick Butte as seen in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Right Mitten and Merrick Butte as seen in The Searchers
Left Mitten, Right Mitten, and Merrick Butte as seen in Stagecoach
Left Mitten, Right Mitten, and Merrick Butte
Our tour guide barely uttered a word about the films that were made here, and having not seen most of them in some time, it wasn’t until after the tour that I was able to match up these buttes with the same ones used in the movies. Of course, after understanding the lay of the land, I couldn’t help but to laugh when seeing how hundreds of miles were represented in this one area. Watching them, you will note that they travel past the same monuments over and over again.
Among the scenic buttes and mesas were John Ford’s Point, the Three Sisters, The Thumb, The Cube, Totem Pole & Yei Bi Chai, Big Hogan, Moccasin Arch, and Echo Cave Ruin. I’ll mostly let the pictures below do the talking. But naturally, photos can’t really begin to express the lush scenery that we were witnessing. God’s hand did some mighty work here.
Beautiful western terrain: two buttes and a butt
As seen in The Searchers, here is John Wayne running alongside the rock structure that would become known as John Ford’s Point
Although the protruding rock is unmistakable, the background scenery shows that my photo was taken from a different angle. The butte seen at the far left of the screen capture is the same one on the right side of my photo.
Another great shot at John Ford’s Point, this time with a Navajo Indian on horseback.
The Navajo see Chevy Chase ranting through the desert in National Lampoon’s Vacation and declare “what an asshole”
Turning the opposite way on John Ford’s Point, the Three Sisters formation is visible – also clearly seen in the screen capture from National Lampoon’s Vacation
In the background of the screen capture from The Searchers can be seen Big Indian, Brigham’s Tomb, King on His Throne, Castle Butte, and Bear and Rabbit
Many of the same buttes can also be seen in this image from National Lampoon’s Vacation
Although taken from a different angle, some of the buttes seen in the above screen captures can be seen in this shot from John Ford’s Point. Note Castle and Bear and Rabbit on the far right. Anyone want to venture a guess why I’m holding my arm here?
Under the Thumb
Climbing amongst the rocks allowed this naturally framed photo of Yei Bi Chai and Totem Pole
Under a Navajo American flag
Fun with The Cube
The posse in The Searchers travels along the sand dunes with Yei Bi Chai and Totem Pole as the backdrop
In typical Navajo fashion, Don stopped our vehicle, put out our step ladder, and started walking without saying a word. After traipsing through lots of sand, we arrived here – at one of the most beautiful spots in all Monument Valley.
After peeing at the sand dunes, I was in desperate need for water
Little man in the Echo Cave Ruin
Larger man at Moccasin Arch
More heiroglyphics amongst the ruins – again, as always, dating to about 1300 A.D.
As we neared the end of our journey around 3:30, Don took us to a traditional Navajo dwelling area. Here there were hogans and outbuildings that were mostly only there for the tourists’ benefit. It was in similar hogans that many Navajo once lived, but the Navajo woman whom we were meeting here actually lived in a more modern dwelling and only came out to the hogan to greet the guests.
Susie enters the hogan
Susie Yazzie was a 92-year old Navajo matriarch with five children, 24 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren. Her trade was weaving, but reportedly she had also worked in bit parts in most of the John Ford films that were made in Monument Valley. She didn’t have much to say, but she did grab the lady that was in our group and braided her hair. I gave her a couple of bucks and posed for a few pictures with her, both inside and outside the hogan. It was a nice way to cap off the tour.
Susie Yazzie still has what it takes to weave a mean blanket
With Susie outside of her hogan
As we departed the area, I took one more shot of Left Mitten
Our group arrived back at Goulding’s Lodge at around 4:30 that afternoon. Bob and I then explored the Trading Post Museum on the property. The Trading Post itself was part of the home of the Goulding family that lived on the location. Part of it is a museum, part of it a souviner shop, and the upstairs part restored to resemble the living quarters of the Goulding family as it was in the late 1940’s and early 50’s. Out back is the family’s vegetable storage shed, which was used as the personal quarters of Cavalry Captian Nathan Brittle (played by John Wayne) in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.
John Wayne and his cabin as seen in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The same cabin today
The museum pays tribute to the films of Monument Valley
Our lodging provided a good look at the Stagecoach, Bear and Rabbit, Castle, and Big Indian buttes. In the foreground is a memorial to the former lodge owners, married couple Harry and Leone “Mike” Goulding.
Bob and I then left the hotel to go to dinner at the Navajo Tribal Park across the street. Since we had paid for a tour on the Navajo lands, we didn’t have to pay to get in. We had our meal at the View Hotel restaurant, the ‘view’ referring to the amazing scenery that could be seen from the hotel, one area dubbed John Wayne’s Point – as it is said that this was his favorite place to enjoy the Monument Valley scenery. In honor of our early meeting, I ordered the Susie Yazzie Navajo taco, served up on Navajo frybread.
At the entrance to the Navajo lands
From the terrace at The View restaurant, this area known as John Wayne’s Point
Dining in the The Veiw – with Left Mitten outside our window
Sundown in Monument Valley
We made it back to the hotel for the 8pm screening of The Searchers on DVD in the Movie Room (which incidentally had been built as the mess hall for the crew of The Harvey Girls when parts of it were filmed here in 1945). I’m not sure if it would have been cooler to watch the film before the tour or after the tour, but I quite enjoyed seeing the exact locations that we had just seen live, reflected back to us on the screen as they were in 1955.
After the film ended and Bob and I continued our debate as to why John Wayne grabbed his arm at the end of the film, we hit the sack – ready for the next leg of our adventure that would take us further into the heart of Arizona.
The road trip will continue at the Grand Canyon…
Why *did* John Wayne grab his arm at the end of the film?
Peter
July 18th, 2011
He couldn’t think of anything better to grab.
Brad
July 18th, 2011
Great pics! The Searchers is one of my favorites.
Tim Bash
July 18th, 2011
Cool! and I like Susie!
Jamie
July 19th, 2011
It might be…it could be…it is! Holy Cow! He did it for good ole Harry Carey.
Dave Chasteen
July 19th, 2011
That’s the common notion (and Bob’s)… but I believe there is a lot more to it. Where did his brother’s wife Martha last touch him before she died?
Brad
July 19th, 2011
I suppose it is possible that it might also symbolize Martha’s loving touch upon his forearm as he left. But considering that the audience doesn’t really know that it is Ethan’s brother and his family that are about to die, and it was nearly a decade later when Ethan made the gesture in the doorway, it is a bit of a stretch for my mind. Had he intended the link between the two, I believe John Ford would have called a bit more attention to the touch during the earlier scene so that the audience could recall it later.
Whether Wayne conspired with Ford on the closing shot of the film, or it was completely improvised by the actor himself is still open for debate. So, like Bob, I tend to favor the legend….
Dave Chasteen
July 20th, 2011
I have also heard that Wayne’s arm grab was meant to convey his life of loneliness, which Wayne said that he interpreted from Harry Carey’s arm grab. So while perhaps inspired by Carey, it was not so much meant as a tribute.
But as far as Ford calling attention to Martha touching him on the arm early in the film, I don’t think that Ford drew much attention to ANY of the hidden backstory of the The Searchers. We don’t know what kind of relationship Ethan had with Martha, whether Martin was truly his son, or what drove Ethan’s vengeance for nearly a decade. I have to think that it was his love of Martha, and in that regard, the arm touch was the culmination of not only his revenge, but the rescue of Martha’s daughter and her restoration to an American family life.
Or perhaps his arm just itched unbearably and they had run out of film.
Brad
July 20th, 2011
I’d like to see Wayne struggling to remove his glasses.
Peter
July 20th, 2011
…Or perhaps he developed a cramp from carrying Natalie Wood.
Dave Chasteen
July 21st, 2011
Harry Carey Sr.’s widow Olive (Laurie’s mother in the film) & son Harry Carey Jr. were both part of the cast of The Searchers. Sr had a habit of holding his R elbow with his L hand so the Duke did indeed do it as a tribute to Harry Sr, his long time friend & co-worker. Incidently the above was told to me by personal friend Dobe Carey,
Barry Brooks
July 1st, 2012