May 22, Moab to Monument Valley,

We got away just after 9 am for the 2 ½  hour drive to Monument Valley  in southern Utah.

For the first hour we drove through typical Moab Marscapes. Huge red cliffs and rock formations.

The Hole is a tourist stop on the other side of the rock

Quite suddenly it changed to green fields of farmland then just as quickly we were back into more red rocks with the buttes of Monument Valley visible in the distance.

Stopped in a town called Mexican Hat for gas. It is named after a rock formation. Population 31.

Mexican Hat

We arrived at Gouldings Campground around 12:30 and got settled.

Time to do laundry and have proper showers.

The campground is in a small valley surrounded by more of those towering red bluffs.

Great views out towards the monuments.

The Gouldings bought the land here in the late 20’s and built a trading post.

In the 30’s when times went bad they had an idea to go to Hollywood to try and attract business.

They got lucky and met John Ford and he decided it was the perfect place to film westerns.

He filmed Stagecoach and many other John Wayne movies here and the Goulding’s built their lodge and cabins to house the film crews.

Nice and hot here, 26 today, but we hear it is just as hot in Nanaimo !