Deborah Woehr

During my research for Prosperity, I read up on dust storms. Also, a good friend of mine had told me about the dust storms she’d experienced when she lived in Arizona. After the storm had died off, they would have to clear the tumbleweeds and debris from their front porch in order to walk outside. This was very mild by comparison.

In the distance, the horizon looked beige/yellow. Once we hit the center of the storm, everything had a reddish cast. Red sand blew across the highway, and the wind threatened to blow our car off the road. Pebbles beat against our car, and we could smell the dust through the vents.

When we arrived in Monument Valley, we could barely make out the mesas and buttes in the distance. The first thing we did after we checked into the hotel was walk up the hill where the restaurant was located. The waiter who served us explained that the dust storms had originated from California. We get heavy rain; they get heavy dust.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Goulding museum, where we saw a model scale of the entire Monument Valley region. Included were posters of movies that were shot in the area since the 50’s. While that was interesting, my husband and I enjoy the geological aspect better. We watched a 20-minute video on how Monument Valley was formed.

The next morning, we woke up to a spectacular view. Even though we still had wind, the dust storm had passed. After a hearty breakfast, we drove out to the Monument Valley park, where these two photos came from.

While I got some great shots, I regret not going on the tour, which takes you off the beaten path and into the secluded places of Monument Valley. At $60 per person, it was too expensive for our budget.