Four Corners Monument

We visited the Navajo Nation Four Corners Monument; the only place in the US where four states meet:

Four Corners Monument sign

Plaque

A line to stand on the four corners:

Line

Navajo merchant stalls:

Stalls

Us standing in the center of the Four Corners monument:

Four Corners Monument

The marker by our feet:

Four Corners Monument

State and Navajo flags:

Four Corners Monument

Colorado:

Colorado

New Mexico:

New Mexico

Arizona:

Arizona

Utah:

Utah

Flags:

Flags

Outside the monument were some frybread food carts:

Frybread cart

We had frybread tacos:

Frybread

So we parked in Arizona, bought our lunch in Colorado, and ate it in New Mexico. Fun!

The line was longer as we departed:

Line

Mesa Verde National Park quick visit

We visited Mesa Verde National Park several times while staying basically across the road.

The first time was a quick scouting trip on the afternoon of our arrival at the Ancient Cedars RV park.

The entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Mesa

It started raining, resulting in a fuzzy picture of the tunnel:

Tunnel and rain

Tunnel

We stopped at the Far View Lounge for dinner; the view wasn’t all that far, due to a dust storm:

Far View Lounge

Pretty basic food:

Food

On the way back down the hill, it started to snow!

Snow

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum

We visited the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Utah.

This museum focuses on Puebloan peoples and artifacts from AD 825 to 1225, and has a 1,000-year-old underground kiva that can be entered.

The exterior of the museum:

Museum

Museum exhibits:

Museum

Artifacts

Exhibits

Museum

The Puebloan great house:

Great house

Info sign:

Info sign

Great house:

Great house

An info sign:

Info sign

Enter with caution; yes, people are encouraged to climb down into the kiva:

Enter with caution

Inside:

Kiva

David exiting the kiva

Bears Ears and Natural Bridges National Monuments

A twofer: we visited Bears Ears and Natural Bridges National Monuments.

Bears Ears National Monument is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is a large area of 1.36 million acres of forests and such.

It is named for the distinctive mountains:

Bears Ears

We visited a ranger station:

Ranger station

But the main focus of this trip was to visit the Natural Bridges National Monument, administered by the National Park Service (NPS). it is entirely surrounded by Bears Ears NM:

Natural Bridges National Monument

Its visitor center:

Visitor center

This monument features three natural bridges, basically holes in rocks much like arches. What’s the difference? Basically a natural bridge spans an erosion valley, and an arch doesn’t. Or put another way, a natural bridge is caused by running water, and an arch by seeping moisture.

The first bridge viewpoint:

Viewpoint

An info sign:

Info sign

The bridge is a little difficult to spot:

Bridge

A closer view:

Bridge

We then stopped for a picnic lunch at a nice shelter:

Jenn at picnic spot

On to the second bridge:

Info sign

Bridge

And the last one:

Info sign

Bridge

Video

Video: timelapse of truck driving around Monument Valley

We drove our truck around the Monument Valley tribal park. Fun bumpy dirt and rock roads, interesting mesas, and more. If you’ve ever seen a Western movie, you’ve seen Monument Valley.

(The music is titled “Monumental Journey”, so seemed appropriate!)

Monument Valley drive

We drove around the Monument Valley Tribal Park in our truck.

The Navajo seal and statue outside the entrance:

Navajo seal and statue

Looking down at some of the monument rocks and road from the visitor center:

Monuments

Monument

Monuments

It’s a fairly rough dirt road:

Monuments

Rough road

Monuments

Our truck at one of the viewpoints:

Monuments

Monument

Monuments

At John Ford’s Point, the man on a horse; he sits out there for people to take photos, or people can sit on his horse as a photo op:

Monuments

Jenn

Monuments

Another horse; they seemed to be training it:

Horse

Monuments

Monuments and horse

Monuments

Our truck:

Truck

Monuments

Jenn & David

Monuments

Goosenecks State Park, Mexican Hat, Forrest Gump Point

We visited Goosenecks State Park in Utah:

Goosenecks State Park

This is a smallish park, overlooking where the San Juan River makes a series of tight turns:

Goosenecks State Park

Look closely; what do you see in the water?

Goosenecks State Park

Rafting boats:

Boats

Goosenecks State Park

There are some no-hookup campsites with great views:

Campsite

On the way back to our coach, we did a quick side trip to the fascinating Mexican Hat rock:

Mexican Hat rock

And stopped at Forrest Gump point, an iconic location from the movie:

Forrest Gump point

Standing in the road for a selfie is a popular pastime; we saw lots of people there every time we went past:

Forrest Gump point

Goblin Valley State Park

Another very nice Utah state park is Goblin Valley State Park. It features thousands of uniquely-shaped “goblins” of eroded sandstone.

The entrance sign, with Wild Horse Butte in the background:

Goblin Valley State Park sign

A small visitor center as part of the entrance station:

Visitor center

A relief map of the area:

Relief map

A paper map. A nice feature of this park is that the Valley of the Goblins is free-range; there are no designated paths, and you are allowed to walk anywhere (but no climbing on the goblins, of course):

Map

Wild Horse Butte:

Wild Horse Butte

The Three Sisters:

The Three Sisters

Part of Valley of the Goblins; some people for scale:

Goblins

Jenn & David

Goblins

People suck, exhibit #1: naughty people climbing on goblins:

Naughty people

People suck, exhibit #2: we picked up some garbage:

Garbage

Goblins

Dead Horse Point State Park

We enjoy visiting state parks in addition to national parks; they are often just as nice, and less busy.

One such was Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab, Utah.

On how the park got its name, quoting from the website:

Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock atop sheer sandstone cliffs. The peninsula is connected to the mesa by a narrow strip of land called the neck. There are many stories about how this high promontory of land received its name.

According to one legend, around the turn of the century, the point was used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa top. Cowboys rounded up these horses, herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point. The neck, which is only 30-yards-wide, was then fenced off with branches and brush. This created a natural corral surrounded by precipitous cliffs straight down on all sides, affording no escape. Cowboys then chose the horses they wanted and let the culls or broomtails go free. One time, for some unknown reason, horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below.

A cow by a sign on the way to the park:

Cow

More cows:

Cows

The Dead Horse Point State Park sign:

Dead Horse Point State Park

A little lending library by the visitor center:

Little lending library

Visitor center:

Visitor center

View:

View

Jenn & David

Info sign:

Info sign

Ponds:

Ponds

Colorado River:

Colorado River

View

Colorado River

The Windows in Arches National Park

Once again we went back to Arches National Park, for one last time (for now). This time, we headed to The Windows, a part we quickly visited on the first day. But this time we did some hiking to the various arches.

The entrance sign again:

Entrance sign