Visiting Four Corners

By Margot Keller, of Lima

A favorite trivia question is "What are the four states included in the Four Corners National Monument?" This is the site where one can put each foot in a state and each hand in one of two other states. The answer is Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. This Four Corners area has outstanding tourist attractions.

The Four Corners Monument, made of granite, bronze and colored concrete has the great seals of the four states along with their flags and those of the Ute and Navajo nations. Native vendors around the monument sell handmade jewelry and crafts. The weekday morning when John Bastian and I arrived there in March seemed strange because we were the sole visitors to this large structure surrounded by Native American land. The roads in from Moab, Utah, were easy to travel and uncrowded, but cluttered by litter - mostly bottles and cans - on the sides of the Navajo nation roadways.

Each of the four states had favorite attractions for us as we spent about five days in this area. In Utah, our pet place was Arches National Park, where we drove from Moab. The scenic 18-mile drive through the park has numerous pullouts and viewpoints as well as paths off the road to see some of the rock formations at a better vantage point.

No wonder the Utah license plates display one of the natural bridges formed of sandstone and rocks. Some seemed impossibly balanced. Park officials consider arches to be any opening of three feet in one direction. Over two thousand are named in Arches National Park. The amazing road to Arches had cliffs with pink icicles attached; the water which dripped down the red rocks picked up soil and then froze into pink icicles. In the Arches National Park the afternoon sun glowed on the Navajo and Estrada formations in shades of Tuscan reds and creams. There were sections of lime green, forest green, grays, grape and mauve. Mainly, we witnessed the vivid burnt orange, muted reds and copper.

As we traveled to Farmington, N.M., I observed the first dust storm I ever saw. It was said to be a small one. I thought it was funny the way the tumbleweeds blew across the road. Some looked like mothers with babies following them. The small ones got hit by travelers, but vehicles avoided the larger ones that could damage the finish on vehicles. In the Farmington Daily News it was reported that part of the city was without electricity during the 58 mph winds. Most of that day had sustained 45 mph winds. I see why the state bird is the roadrunner.

The McGee Convention Center in Farmington shares parking with the Sun Ray Casino. The casino is erecting a huge addition. Horse sculptures welcome visitors to New Mexico. Meals at the casino were good. Farmington is a blue-collar community with many motels and fast food choices in this major commerce and industrial center. Nearby is the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

From Farmington, it is an easy drive to Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park just nine miles east of Cortez. The "Green Table" has more than 6,000 preserved cliff dwellings from pit houses built around 500 A.D. to kivas, their ceremonial reception rooms built about 1,000 years ago. The Pueblo people often claim the "Modified Basket Makers" as their ancestors. Though snowy and cold at the mesa over 7,000 feet in elevation, we enjoyed seeing the Chapin Mesa National Museum and the dozens of mule deer on the twisty-turning road down from the top.

The advantage of driving is that one can stop if something looks interesting. A large sign stated "Pottery." We stopped on Highway 160 in Towaoc, Colo., at the Ute Mountains Ute Pottery shop that lies at the food of Sleeping Ute Mountain. Inside we saw grand displays of traditional pottery from useful small bowls to huge decorative urns. Each pottery piece is decorated with the geometric designs, usually in black, of the Anasazi. Also we were fascinated to watch four Ute artists in the window to the back of the store. These women were some of the 30 tribal members creating designs and signing each piece. We bought a mini bowl in black and white. Vase, lampshades, seed jars and jugs were available.

Durango, Colo., was our next stop. Here there was a variety of architecture from Victorian to Southwestern styles. Some old homes next to the historical downtown have steel roofs to help the snow slide off in the winter. We enjoyed the Durango-Silverton Railroad Station, museum and gift shop. We waved to the passengers and crew as they left at 10 in the morning for the only run of the day to Cascade. In the summer the train goes to Silverton. We visited Iris Park and then St. Columba Catholic Church built in 1881, a welcoming place with unusually vivid stained glass windows of saints, an old organ and choir loft, pews and icons.

Durango has also been called "the Napa Valley of Beer" due to its four award-winning community minded breweries which together produce more than 15,000 barrels of beer annually in a city of about 15,000 residents. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is also there. Our Econo Lodge was on the site of the first motel in the west, 100 years ago. This was the fifth motel on the same site. The five photographs were displayed in the room. A scenic route drive along the Animas River was a collage of ski lodges, homes, condos and nature along the railroad and winding river.

Leaving Colorado we drove to Aztec, N.M., where pioneers founded the city in 1890. The Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village has 14 original and replicated structures. Farm and ranch equipment as well as oil and gas exhibits depicted our nation's growth. The Aztec Ruins National Monument had outstand sandstone pueblos. These had nothing to do with the native American Aztecs of Mexico, and we found out the early settlers had misnamed this area Aztec.

In summary, the Four Corners can lead one in multiple directions to enjoy four major pleasures, nature, history, weather and culture.