Conducting a Scout in Monument Valley

[US Scout]

I will be departing tomorrow for Monument Valley.  I'll be going on a horseback ride for the week with Great American Adventures.  http://www.great-american-adventures.com/   

For those who have been there, I'll be staying at Goulding's Lodge and each morning will be going out to a different location to meet up with the wrangler and horses.  The Lodge is where John Ford, John Wayne, and others stayed while filming various films such as The Searchers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, and Fort Apache.  Consequently, I will be attired as a cavalryman. 

The lodge has internet so I should be able to check in while I'm gone, thus I am not appointing an acting commander. 

By the way, I did an hour horse ride of Gettysburg Battlefield last weekend.  I've been to Gettysburg many times, but this was the first time I rode a horse on the field, and I got a totally new perspective of Longstreet's march to the Confederate right flank on the second day.  I'm hoping to put together a 5 hour ride of the battlefield for next year. 

US Scout
GAF, Commanding

[Niederlander]

General,
      That sounds like a GREAT time, and I'm not even all that fond of horses!

[US Scout]

General,
      That sounds like a GREAT time, and I'm not even all that fond of horses!

They are no more difficult to get along with than some people. 

Of course, the GAF doesn't have any of those sort of people! 

I've been riding off and on since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and when my daughter began riding lessons I joined in just to keep from being bored.  I enjoy riding but admit that my back sometimes doesn't.  However, it is a great way to really see the country.

It'd be great if we could get a GAF contingent to go on one of these rides, but I'll admit that they are a bit pricey.  Of course, the price includes horses and tack, wranglers for same, meals, guides or historians, etc.  Around here I can pay $50 or more for an hour ride, so a 6 hour ride would run $300 for horse rental, and over 5 days that would be $1500. 

We have a saying on the ride that we find the right horse for every rider.  If you like to ride a lot, we have horses that like to be ridden a lot; if you don't ride, we have horses that haven't been ridden.

US Scout
Brig Gen, GAF

[Silver Creek Slim]

We have a saying on the ride that we find the right horse for every rider.  If you like to ride a lot, we have horses that like to be ridden a lot; if you don't ride, we have horses that haven't been ridden.

I got one like that. He wants to be the boss. 

Sounds like a good time, sir.

Slim

[Niederlander]

My knowledge of horses pretty much consists of the following;  they're fairly large animals, they eat a LOT of hay, and most of them seem to be some shade of brown.  Considering my size, me trying to be a horseman probably isn't much fun for the horse, either.  What you're doing still seems like a good time, though!

[1st Sgt.]

Say a top o the morning to Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles Quarters while your there sir. My Favorite location at Goulding's Trading Post it's there also. Enjoy!

V/R
First Sgt.

[Sagebrush Burns]

Monument Valley is an incredibly beautiful (and spiritual, if you will) place.  I've stayed at Goulding's and it is an excellent place to stay - every room has a view of the valley.  Be sure to take along your camera (duh!)(assuming it is a period correct compact digital), the play of light over the course of the day is extraordinary and sunrise/sunset can be absolutely spectacular.

[Mustang Gregg]

We went to Monument Valley on our way home from a genuine cowboy wedding near Tucson (Tucson Rifle Club) a few moons ago.  We only spent one day in the valley due to time constraints and didn't stay at the lodge.   
The ste is magestic and beautiful.  And there is much history to be found.

It will be a great adventure, I'm for sure.

Mustang Gregg

[US Scout]

Third day of our ride. Today we visited several John Ford film locations, primarily from the Searchers and Cheyenne Autumn.  We rode 11 miles the first day, and 16 the second. Haven't heard the report for today.

Our rides give me loads of respect for the frontier cavalry - of any nation.

US Scout

[US Scout]

Completed a successful ride in Monument Valley.  

We spent 4 days riding, doing about 12 miles a day, and once we did 16.  We usually finished up about a half-hour before sunset, so we got to enjoy the changing colors on the formations as we returned to our hotel.  The majority of our riders were around 50 and up into the 70s, so we mostly appreciated the chance to sleep in a soft bed following a shower to wash all the trail dust off.  No complaints from this trooper in that regard.

We visited a few film locations from The Searchers and Cheyenne Autumn, and I noted we were in the general location of several shots from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Stagecoach.  

We stopped by John Ford's Point, which is also the location where they dropped Jeff Hunter off the ledge so he could sneak into the Comanche village to rescue Natalie Wood.  

We stayed at Goulding's Lodge, and those who have stayed there know that Captain Nathan Brittles' quarters can be viewed, and the old trading post served as the fort's HQ in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.  

We had Navaho guide and I tried my hand at learning Navaho.  I've studied several languages, to include Russian and Arabic, and I do believe Navaho is right up there with them.  No wonder the Japanese didn't have a clue!  

We were a group of 20.  Only a few of us dressed out, with 3 of us doing a John Ford cavalry impression at one time or another.  Our horses were relatively well-behaved, but given that we had a number of novice riders, it was hard to do anything fast.  The sandy soil, and huge numbers of chipmunk and badger holes made that risky anyways.  I also managed to do a bit of tracking, finding tracks for cottontails, chipmunks, bobcat, coyote, kangaroo rats, and unidentified (to me) birds and lizards.  

Goulding's Lodge did a great job housing and feeding us.  I became a big fan of the Navaho Taco, and ate fry-bread every chance I got.  

Great American Adventures plans to repeat this ride next year.  It looks expensive but you get a lot for your money.  I will probably go on their 5th annniversary Wyatt Earp Vendetta ride.  I rode the first one but they've made some improvements, and after reading up on the Apaches this last year, I'd like to get back into their territory.  

US Scout
Brig Gen, GAF

[Sagebrush Burns]

Thanks for the report.  Sounds like an excellent experience.  Hopefully you got some good pics too.