The "Mitten Buttes" of Monument Valley

"The Mitten buttes are perhaps the best known landmarks in
Arizona's Monument Valley. Thousands of tourists flock to the
Navajo tribal park each year to "ooh" and "ahh" and photograph
the natural splendor of the rock formations that make up the
valley, though many never go much past the visitor's center
that overlooks these colorful buttes.

Monument Valley isn't really a valley at all, but in places, the
towering rock formations that surround it make one almost
think it is. With its red rock landscape, twisted junipers and
tumbleweeds, and majestic buttes rising like giant tombstones
from the desert floor, this place seems to be the perfect
stereotype for the American desert southwest. It has appeared
as a backdrop in many Hollywood westerns, so much so that
there's a spot called "John Ford Point", named after the famous
director who used it in several of his films.

This photo, taken at sunset from an "unofficial" spot off the
rough, dirt road that leads into the park, shows the Mittens in
the afterglow of a glorious Arizona evening, as dusk falls and
the heat of the afternoon begins to fade. West Mitten Butte,
in the foreground, still glows a deep crimson in the last rays
of the sinking sun, while East Mitten, in the background, is
lready in shadow. The photo was taken with a Canon 40D DSLR
on a tripod, using Tamron 17-35mm lens at 17mm. Exposure
was 1/5 second at f/11.

A visit to Monument Valley should be on everyone's list of things
to do; one cannot help but come away from this place with a
renewed sense of wonder at the marvels of the natural world,
and a strengthened desire to protect and preserve these places
for future generations."   --Winston Rockwell

You'll find many more of Mr. Rockwell's amazing photographs on his website at www.northwestnaturalimagery.com.