Day Eight - Saturday, May 9, 2009

We left Durango early in the morning and headed to the Four Corners area. We drove through the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation south of Cortez CO. The terrain was rolling, windswept mounds undulating across the horizon and appearing as waves on the ocean. Chasms and outcroppings fell and rose as the land unfolded around us. And of course the rainbow of colors continued to provide a feast for our eyes.

The Four Corners Monument is located on the reservation and is managed by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. We spent approximately $1 per minute for a total of six minutes at the monument - enough to get photos and savor the moment. Though there were Navajo vendors available to sell their wares to us, the early morning hour just really didn't make shopping very appealing.

Our trip through the reservation was most enjoyable. The rolling land, the green sagebrush, the orange flowers along the road, and the mountains - so beautiful! We also observed houses, cars, ranches, horse races, and power lines. The power lines create major man-made distractions for the natural view. In response to my complaints, Harold suggested that I think of them as man's contribution to the view and to appreciate the structural genius that they represent. Interesting and useful approach.

During my driving shift, Harold kindly made a few notes for me. Purple flowers like the orange ones appeared along the road, and white flowers that must be related to morning glories joined them. Our drive through Tuba City AZ showed us that the sleepy little town where we stayed on a trip in 1997 has grown into a city with lots of modern conveniences.

We traveled through the edge of the Painted Desert and appreciated the pastel colors more than we had in 1997. That year we went to the Grand Canyon first and then the Painted Desert and the Desert paled in comparison. This time, it was much more beautiful to us, particularly with snow-tipped Humphreys Peak north of Flagstaff in the background! The peak is Arizona's highest at 12,633 feet.

We drove in and out of the Coconino National Forest and headed to the Wupatki Ruins National Monument. Here another band of Ancestral Pueblos lived in the early 1000's AD. The Ruins were rich rust in color and easily accessible for a walk from the visitor center. The ruins represent a much more typical type of construction than the cliff dwellings. Indeed they were similar to the Aztec Ruins in NM where we had visited several days earlier.

In close association with the Wupatki Ruins is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Throughout the combined area, the soil was black, volcanic, and rocky. Another memory flashed for both of us of the Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho. We had enjoyed the spooky, volcanic landscape of the Craters and we also enjoyed the trip through this volcanic area. Since we had spent more time than planned at the Ruins, we did not drive up to the crater but took plenty of photos as we drove by.

We zoomed through Flagstaff and on to Williams AZ for lunch. We stopped at Rod's Steak House where we truly appreciated the calibre of the steak with steak sandwiches on baguette with steak fries - best full wedge baked then grilled steak fries we've ever had. These westerners know how to cook! Rod's Steak House was established in 1947 and has had only three owners in that time. The traditions are maintained and so is the quality and the "World Famous" label is believable. The location on Historic Route 66 adds to the panache. Williams, by the way, is the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon" according to its marketing slogan. It is the station for the Grand Canyon Railroad.

Our itinerary sent us future into the western-most reaches of the state to Kingman AZ - also on the Historic Route 66. We passed through the Cottonwood Cliffs and experienced another extraordinary view of nature's magic. And along the way we saw so many more beautiful yellow flowers, blooming scrubs, and cacti.

We arrived in Kingman AZ exhausted from a long day's drive and stops, but fortunately Rod's Steak House sandwiches were ample enough for our dinner, so we relaxed and rested for the next day.