Geeking out at the Four Corners

The four corners monument was one of those places I've secretly (well, not so secretly anymore) always wanted to go to. As a kid it always sounded so cool that you could be in four states at once. However, it doesn't really seem to qualify as a full-fledged destination. Then, just as we were making travel plans for our next portion of the trip, the stars aligned and we also had cable tv that evening. An episode of Good Luck Charlie was on, and it was about a sort of misguided road trip in an RV to the four corners. 

"Hey kids, do you want to go there, too?" 

   

"Yes!"

(Cue the not-so-secret fist pump in the air as I'm super happy everyone is on board!) 

Nearly everyone, but four is a solid majority, and better than I've received in the past. 

I do tend to like silly things, and don't always get everyone as readily motivated. Waking up three kids early to go to a chicken parade (check it out if you're near Bow, WA), or convincing my husband that going to a drag queen show is a good date night, are the sort of things that usually take a lot of cheerleading or eyelash-batting to get everyone to go along. I think that our collective sense of adventure and flexibility has greatly increased on this trip, as now when someone suggests a side trip or destination it takes little to no convincing to get everyone ready to go. (See an upcoming post about a five-day detour to Tucson.)

The road into here was the bumpiest/ruttiest (not sure that's a word, but there were lots of ruts). We had a cupboard open and all of our pantry items fall out into the RV and roll around, discovered a couple hours later, but no real damage. 

Around the monument there are stalls set up with Navajo vendors selling their wares. We did our part in contributing to the economy, loading up on bracelets and one really nice vase.

Here we are hamming it up.

Our first, but not our last, fry bread. So, so, good.

We all had our own style of posing. The kids got in on mine (above), but I'm not showing Kevin's as, well, I don't want all the ladies getting too jealous of me. That cheesy goodness will go straight into the family album so that future generations can marvel at how sophisticated their ancestors were.

I was one content woman as we left and headed out through Monument Valley. Later there was a Navajo Code Talkers museum in a Burger King, so the day was a full success. What is your favorite road trip detour?

Lowry Pueblo and Anasazi Museum

One great side trip during our Mesa Verde stay was to the Anasazi museum, near Dolores, Colorado. The exhibits were very well done, and they had a scavenger hunt for the kids to do that had them really engaged.

Our favorite parts were the hands-on activities, such as grinding corn, checking out specimens under the microscopes, and trying our hand at weaving a rug. My daughter and I had a blast doing that, and I may be daydreaming about setting up a loom when we settle down again.

Afterwards we set out for the nearby Lowry Pueblo in the Canyons of the Ancients.

This particular pueblo and kiva were impressive in their size, and how well they were preserved. You wouldn't know that you were headed to a national monument when you set down the gravel road to get here--it's barely marked and you feel as if you've certainly made a wrong turn. 

This is one of many sites you'll find around the area, as they seem to be quite abundant in the four corners region. I think that if we had breezed through Mesa Verde we would have been keen to explore more, but as it was we'd saturated ourselves and had to call it a day so that we could spend some time lying down, sampling some Colorado beers, and getting the kids some ice cream. 

Understanding Community in Mesa Verde

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde caught us off guard with how enthralled they had us. I suppose we were thinking that we'd take a look, then say, "Well, that's a nice artifact . . . ready to hit the road?" and be on our way. Right away I knew my assumptions were wrong; even from a distance this place was spectacular. On our first day we toured Cliff Palace, and had a great ranger guide (bonus: a recent WWU grad). She emphasized the community aspect of the cliff dwellings, which really helped us frame how we looked at the residences during our visit.

They look so tiny from this angle, like so many beige lego blocks.

The Ancestral Puebloans did not have these ladders, and you can see some of their original climbing grips in the rocks. There's a lot of warning given beforehand regarding the difficulty of the climb out of the dwelling. (It's quite a simple climb, and not long at all.) However, in addition to the general health warnings, they should also warn you of older southern ladies wearing miniskirts, or at least request that they go to the end of the group. Good gracious, that can scar an unsuspecting kid.

On our second day we took the more adventurous Balcony House tour. Physically it's not demanding, but it does require a longer descent, some squeezes, and a climb up at the end that I wouldn't recommend if you have a fear of heights. (I didn't envy the park ranger having to talk a family with a toddler and baby out of the tour; they seemed very adamant that they could do this with the children strapped on, but it really wouldn't have been safe.)

After the descent we went through this corridor before entering the dwelling. Great suspense!

This is their kiva, which likely would have been used for ceremonies and warmth. The engineering is beautiful.

Some of the original decorations were still visible in this dwelling.

I won't lie, I was seriously apprehensive about going through this tunnel to exit the cliff dwelling. My daughter is very petite, and she looked to be the right size to go through, so I was worried that I would wedge myself in and we'd have an embarrassing situation on our hands. Luckily, it wasn't a problem at all for a person larger than 80lbs, and I had plenty of room, whew. (I know it was an irrational fear, as I'd seen all sizes of people exiting the tour on the way out, but that's just where my mind went.)

The kids thought that the final stairs and ladders out were a blast, and I would agree that they got the adrenaline flowing.

We all wished we could go back in time to watch the Ancestral Puebloans climbing in and out without ladders or carved stairs, as well as see how they lived in the dwellings. 

This is a quick snap over the edge of the stairs. 

After those hikes we took the scenic drive around the Mesa Top loop, with viewpoints of Navajo Canyon, pit houses, and early pueblo villages. Normally I don't think you get as good of an experience from viewpoints as you do from hiking, but in this case they were really equal. Without seeing that multiple dwellings are so close and line the canyon, you wouldn't see how these were like neighboring cities, and imagine their communities intertwined.

The museum has a great collection of art and artifacts, and we spotted this little guy while refilling our water bottles.

Our last hike in the park was to the Spruce Tree House, a self-guided tour down to another cliff dwelling, merged with the 3-mile Petroglyph Point hike.

They've reconstructed a fully covered kiva here, so that you can climb down into it to experience what it would generally feel like. 

After leaving the cliff dwelling and departing on the Petroglyph trail, the scenery and hike were amazing. There were lots of climbs, rock scrambles, short slots, descents, views, and well-marked points of interest. We all agreed that this was one of the best hikes ever. If you take this hike, be sure to start from the Spruce House side, and not on the trail head on the other side of the museum. We saw two small groups coming back from hike as we were starting, and they looked miserable! That first half of the hike (or their last, if starting on the opposite side of the loop) is fun, but challenging, and I'm glad we did it while we were full of energy. The way we went, after you pass the petroglyphs you climb up to the top of the canyon then have an easy and mostly shaded walk on the mesa top back to the museum.

Spending quiet moments checking out the petroglyphs, combined with what we learned and experienced at the park made this one of our favorite days and places so far on this trip. 

Lazy Days in Durango, Cortez, and Mancos, CO

After days and days of hiking through Utah, we took a side trip through to the southwest corner of Colorado. We started out in Durango, and had great timing as our visit coincided with their annual art festival. (We always seem to be just a little too early or too late for local celebrations, dang.) 

We also seemed to have given our cameras a rest, as we took almost no pictures in Durango. We loved this city though; it has a great, walkable downtown filled with yummy restaurants, fun shops, and galleries. Everyone there was also super friendly, which made the visit enjoyable, too.

My favorite shop there was the Urban Market (http://urbanmarketonline.com/).

After Durango we headed into Cortez, as it's a good base for visiting Mesa Verde. Cortez has a great recreation center, which was a relief on our first rainy day in town. The rest of downtown isn't quite as charming as nearby cities, but they do have a local museum  that's worth checking out.

We had the water slide almost all to ourselves.

Someone really missed being in the water every day!

The nearby town of Mancos was worth an hour or two to explore. It's very picturesque, and you can cover the four blocks of downtown rather quickly. The farmer's market was just one farmer and a folding table, but we were able to pick up some tomatoes and basil to go with dinner while the kids enjoyed the local park. 

Next up, Mesa Verde National Park!