The Third Sunday Drive, Day Three: Four Corners

Looking down Center Street, Moab Utah

It is September, before a rainfall ...

Soon it's gonna rain, I can feel it,
Soon it's gonna rain, I can tell,
Soon it's gonna rain, what are we gonna do?
-- Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt

Click here to hear the University of Redlands production of this iconic song from my favorite musical, The Fantasticks.

Once I had the car packed, I headed back to downtown Moab to take pictures of the Grand County Courthouse, and anything else I found of interest.  Breakfast took second place, but I found a little coffee shop on a downtown corner and had a mango smoothie, a chocolate hazelnut biscotti, and a hazelnut latte, before hitting the road heading on down US 191 toward Monticello, Utah, where I would turn east crossing into Colorado.

Roughly half way between Moab and Monticello, I passed first the largest piece of advertising I've ever seen, a 5,000 square foot home carved out of the red sandstone and marked by huge letters painted on the side of a cliff, "Hole N" The Rock" with a large arrow pointing down toward the parking lot.  I did stop, long enough to take a couple more pictures, but didn't feel like taking the time (or paying the money) to visit this particular tourist trap.  I have to admit that part of me was astounded, but also repelled, by the large white letters painted on the sandstone.  No missing that "billboard."

Wilson Arch, San Juan County, Utah

Not much further on, I passed Wilson Arch, a sandstone arch much larger than anything I had seen up close in the park.  With a span of 91 feet and a height of 46, Wilson Arch attracts a lot of attention.  Indeed, the parking areas on both sides of US 191 were full, and people were eagerly climbing the rock to get closer to this natural phenomenon.  I stopped long enough to take a picture, then headed on down the road.

Monticello, Utah is the seat of San Juan County, Utah's south-eastern corner.  After stopping long enough to photograph the San Juan County Courthouse and the Monticello Mormon Temple, I turned off US 191 onto US 491, crossing into Colorado and heading for Cortez, the seat of Montezuma County, Colorado's south-western corner.  In Cortez, I allowed Nancy the Nag to misdirect me to the county courthouse, but that let me see a lot more of Cortez than I would have otherwise.  Once I finally found the courthouse, I added its picture to my collection, then leaving the car parked, I headed off to Pippo's Cafe for a lunch omelette with mushrooms, sausage and avocado. 

Cortez sits between Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park.  Both of these areas called out to me, but Albuquerque was calling more loudly, and I drove down US 491 bypassing both of these monuments to human engineering, as opposed to the natural engineering I had seen the day before.  The more I read of the two, the more I know I'll have to return to Cortez and spend time there--probably combining that trip with a longer stay in the Moab area.

Mesa land south of Cortez, Colorado

I've always been a sucker for imaginary lines.  When my Helsinki-based hostess, Eva Pinomaa, asked me why I wanted to visit Rovaniemi, the administrative capital of Finnish Lappland, which sits just below the Arctic Circle, I replied "Our lives are governed by imaginary lines.  This is one I'll probably never be closer to."  Once there, I found that the Finns had turned the Arctic Circle into a tourist trap, complete with reindeer in a pen, a large sleigh full of presents, and Santa Claus village.  There is also a pole with signs reading "Arctic Circle" in several different languages.  On a similar note, there is only one place in the United States where four states come together at a single point.  That would be Four Corners, where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico all meet.  As it happens, Four Corners is on the Navajo Reservation, and just like those sneaky Finns, the Navajo have turned Four Corners into a tourist trap.  The entrance fee is minimal, but it's per person, not per vehicle, and as I had picked up a hitchhiker in Cortez, I paid the fee for both of us to drive across a very rough parking area, wander through the stalls where native people were selling jewelry and other crafts, and get in line to take pictures of each other standing in four states at once.  As all four of these states have a sales tax, and each is different, I'm not sure just how the merchants figure their taxes.

Yours Truly, standing in four distinct states.

My young hitchhiker was headed for the Grand Canyon, and I was headed south and east, so I left him at Teec Nos Pos where I turned east on US 64 toward Shiprock, Farmington, and eventually Albuquerque.  My time in Arizona was short, but it's the spirit that counts, right?  and it allowed me to get this photo of the Navajo Nation's welcome sign.  I have no idea who "RK" might be, but he certainly left his mark on the sign.

Welcome to the Navajo Nation.  Four Corners, Arizona.

From Teec Nos Pos, it's just a hop skip and a long jump into New Mexico.  I had crossed the state on Interstate 40 back in my college days, but I'd never been through the northwestern corner before.  The first major town on US 64 would be Farmington which I knew as the place my best college friends, Jim and Rosanna, would go to visit Rosanna's family.  To get there, I'd have to pass Shiprock, which I assumed was much closer to the geologic formation of the same name.  But no, the rock itself is off in the distance, and I stopped to grab what pictures I could before losing sight of the monolith altogether. 

Shiprock, San Juan County, New Mexico

Just east of Farmington is the town of Bloomfield, and that's where I turned onto US 550 heading for Bernalillo and Interstate 25.   Along the way, I crossed the Continental Divide which was marked by a small sign, nothing like the massive ones we use in Montana.  I also passed through the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation, the Jemez Reservation, the Zia Reservation, and the Santa Ana Reservation.  At Bernalillo, I caught I-25 and drove south to Albuquerque, turning west onto Interstate 40 in the heart of New Mexico's largest city.

Yelp helped me decide on a restaurant just off 1-40, and I got to see one shopping center from every conceivable angle as I searched for my dinner among all the major hotel chains.  The restaurant offered New Mexican cuisine, and was quite popular.   In order to be seated immediately, I agreed to sit in the bar.  When my food came, it was plentiful, but nothing like what I was expecting.  Guess I really wanted Old Mexican cuisine.

Back on I-40, I hoped to get as far as Tucumcari, near the Texas state line, but as I headed out of Albuquerque, the rain started to fall.  The further east I traveled, the harder the rain fell.  I saw lightning strikes like I've never seen them before, and the rain was so heavy that even the semis were slowing down.  When I saw the exit for Santa Rosa, I decided to call it a night and get off the Interstate.  After all, by this point I was driving 30 mph and felt that might be too fast.  

Once in my room at 9 p.m., I enjoyed the electricity in the air and the rain as well.  It went on for a full hour at least.  I couldn't say how much longer, because I fell asleep. 

Total mileage for the day:  522   It was a good day, even with the wet ending.

The Third Sunday Drive, Day Two: Utah

 

Along the Spanish Fork River, Utah

Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

 --lyrics by Curly Putman

To hear Johnny Cash sing this song, which I chose only because there was no green, green grass on my drive today, click here.

Once out of bed and back in the Saab, the first order of the day was to feed my face.  Turning to Yelp, I found several nearby places offering a decent breakfast, but finding them was another matter.  While I'm sure that Salt Lake's address system using xxx North yyy East works well for those who understand it, I find it extremely confusing, and impossible to program into Nancy the Nag's navigation system.  Further complicating matters was the fact that I seemed to be in strip-mall city, where all the businesses were part of one strip mall or another and not easily seen while driving down a six lane street.  Finally, none of the buildings I could see had easily visible numbers, so it was merely by chance that I found myself at Kneader's Bakery and Café in Midvale, Utah.  Or maybe I was still in Salt Lake City.  I don't know.  I never saw any signs indicating that I had moved from one municipality to another.

Kneader's was not what I wanted, in that you stepped up to the order desk, placed your order, then waited for the staff to bring you your meal.  I much prefer sitting down and letting them bring me a menu.  As it was, I completely misunderstood the choices available to me, and ordered (I thought) a mango smoothie and a pain au chocolat.  The cashier then asked what I wanted for my main course.  Silly me, I thought that was the main course, so I ended up getting way too much food when they brought me my omelette and it's accompanying side dishes as well as the smoothie and croissant.  The coffee was surprisingly good, considering I'm in Mormon country, but I would recommend that the management rethink their idea of putting black plastic tableware in black circular bins with no overhead lighting.  Since this is more of a cafeteria than a restaurant, you are expected to get your own tableware, napkins, coffee, etc, and finding them was a challenge.  The omelette was good, however, and I took the smoothie and croissant for snacking down the road.

 What a dramatic sky above central Utah

On my way back to I-15, I filled the Saab's tank, and hit the road listening to The Focus Group on SiriusXM OutQ Gay Radio.  Due to it being Labor Day Weekend, OutQ's weekend schedule was a strange mix of repeats and odd combinations which allowed the regulars to have the weekend off.  The Focus Group had chosen to repeat a broadcast about America's number one Tupperware distributor, Your Aunt Barbara, just a typical housewife out on The Long Island, who is otherwise known as Robert Suchan.  Who knew that a drag queen would become Tupperware's Queen Bee?  The segment was hilarious, and apparently, unbeknownst to the Focus Group's hosts, Aunt Barbara showed up for the interview in full drag.  The show was hilarious, and I, for one, will be ordering my Tupperware from Aunt Barbara, and I feel you should too. 

Turning off I-15, I headed southeast on US 6, climbing from Spanish Fork up and over the mountains to descend to Green River and I-70.  This is a gorgeous drive, one that Kevin and I had taken in reverse way back when we rushed to Denver to rescue Rocky I from Denver Animal Control after Gary's untimely death.  That trip was in January, and the area looks much different in early September.

Stopping for lunch in Green River, I had a decent Chef's Salad at the West Winds truck stop and then found a geocache just across the highway near a motel parking lot.  I won't give away anything more in case you want to find this particular cache.  I was now at 176 found caches in 17 different states.  My Garmin GPS unit is not working properly, so I had to download the geocaching app to my iPhone to find the caches in Idaho and Utah.  I planned on continuing to find caches along the way, but somehow got distracted by the scenery and miles.

Red Rock along Utah 313, leading to Canyonlands National Park

I had directed my Nav system to find the northern part of Canyonlands National Park, and at Green River, the system tried to direct me down 80 miles of dirt road.  I knew from my maps, that there was a paved road that took off US 191 a few miles north of Moab, and was thus surprised to find myself driving across the desert on gravel.  Turning around, I headed back into Green River, caught I-70 for a few miles until I exited on US 191.  The big advantage of traveling on a three-day holiday weekend, is that the construction projects are usually on hold, and you can drive through construction zones without worrying about being delayed by actual construction.  Most of US 191 north of Moab was a construction zone.

Sure enough, roughly a dozen miles north of Moab, Utah 313 took off to the west, leading to the northern part of Canyonlands.  The Visitor Center was some twenty-five miles ahead, but the day was still relatively young and the scenery was spectacular.  I spent enough time in Canyonlands and later in neighboring Arches National Park that I will address each of them in separate posts.  For now suffice it to say that while driving along 313, I stopped at various places to take pictures, including at the overlook for two bright red rock mesas named for the Civil War battleships Monitor and Merrimack at the Battle of Hampton Roads.  I got to talking with some bicyclists and turned them on to WarmShowers.org, a social networking site for bicyclist tourists and their potential hosts.  I've had such fun hosting bicycle tourists through WarmShowers, that I want anyone riding a bike to know about the program.  I also got a nice shot of the Saab with the mesas in the background.

Monitor and Merrimack Mesas, near Moab, Utah

No Saab in this shot

While at the Canyonlands Visitors' Center, I purchased a National Parks Passport and entered my first stamp.  We'll see how full I'm able to get the thing--i.e. how many stamps I put in the passport, but it's fun knowing I have the option of logging all my visits in this handy guidebook.  This was also my first chance to take advantage of my new Senior Pass, which at my advanced age allows me entrance to all federal fee areas for the rest of my life--and it only costs $10.  I highly recommend you take advantage of the program, if you're old enough.

The road into Canyonlands is also the road out, and once back on US 191, I soon found myself at the entrance to Arches National Park.  My drive up and into the park took the rest of the available sun--so necessary for daylit photography, and by the time I left the park and entered the city of Moab, I was ready to find a bed and a good dinner.  Oh the joys of traveling on a holiday weekend in a resort area.  There was a sign on the door of the Super 8 saying that there was no need to proceed any further.  They were full for the night.  There was another motel just across the highway, so I pulled in and found they did have a room which I quickly rented.  Once I had carried everything from  the car to my room, I again called up Yelp and found a Thai restaurant in the center of downtown Moab. 

When eating in an ethnic restaurant, I always take it as a good sign that the customers are also of the same ethnic group.  I figure they know whether the food is good or bad.  Now as to whether this holds true in a resort community, who can say, but well over half the tables at Sing Ha were filled with Asians, predominately from the subcontinent judging by their appearance.  I found the meal delicious, and my only quibble would be the service which was extremely slow.  This I attributed to the fact that every table was full (I was the only single diner), and there were only two people serving.  No sooner did a table empty than it was refilled with new diners, and the ethnic mix never varied.  I had no idea there were so many east Indians visiting Moab, Utah.  At one point, an Asian woman appeared at my table and asked me how I liked the dish.  When I told her how good it was, she took great pride in announcing that she was the cook who had prepared my meal.  In my experience, it's not often that cooks leave the kitchen to introduce themselves to the diners, and indeed, I did not see this woman talk to anyone else in the restaurant.  What can I say, I stayed for dessert and left with a glass of Thai iced tea.  The one other item of note at Sing Ha was the young Asian woman who on occasion would come around filling glasses.  Her shorts were so short, they were completely hidden on the front by her apron.  Must be a family member, I thought, as I can't imagine a manager allowing such attire on a regular employee.

I just love twisted trees, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Back at the motel, I checked my mileage.  I had driven only 340 miles, but had taken over one hundred photos.  A beautiful day.