Sunset Crater

Up early to watch the sunrise over Monument Valley, the view was brilliant. The speed of the sunrise was surprising and it was not long before the desert heat was again striking, even at 7am.

On departing Goulding's Lodge, we stopped by their museum and by John Wayne's cabin, used in one of his many films at the Valley. Then we hopped across the road to the Navajo Visitors Centre for a more up-close view of the karsts and to learn about the Navajo code talkers used in WWII.

From here, we headed back into Arizona (changing time some again), aiming for the Grand Canyon via Flagstaff. En route, we made a brief detour to Sunset Crater, a volcano and lava field. Whilst trekking up the crater is no longer allowed, we walked through the basalt lava fields which was fascinating.Read more