A few years ago, before a Moab photo tour, we spent a few days in Monument Valley, one of my favorite places in the US. The first morning was magical, with the clouds and sunrise light bathing all of the sandstone formations. After shooting the Mittens and Merrick Butte from the balcony of the View Hotel, we rushed out to the front of the hotel, hopped in our car, and went a very short distance to this dirt road. This image shows the light gradually lighting up both Sentinel Mesa (on the left) and the rock formation known as the King on His Throne on the right. One of the more interesting things about Monument Valley are the cool names that the rock formations have. Many of the names originate from the Navajo or the settlers to the region. When you start out with magical light like this, everything else is just icing on the cake.