Monument Valley Arizona

We left Page, AZ, On Monday, October 10th.  We are now heading east.

My hope is that on this day we will travel through Monument Valley, stop at the

4 Corners (to be explained later) and visit Mesa Verde before crashing in

Durango, Colorado.  That was my hope. 

Blair has a favourite spot on the way to Peggy's Cove.  It's a point where there

are two 30 foot boulders - one on each side of the road - perfect spots for

an ambush by movie outlaws or indians.  As we drive by, he still fires his

six-gun first in one direction and then in the other.

You can imagine how he felt as we drove through this incredible place - the

vast set for innumerable Hollywood movies - most famously Stagecoach starring

John Wayne as Johnny Ringo!  Awesome!

The geologists report that the buttes and spires are all that remain of a wide
sandstone plane that's been worn down by the action of ancient rivers and
current storms.  Perhaps in another millenia or more, these monuments, too,
will be gone. 

We were warned by signs not to leave the road unless in the company of a
Navaho guide.  I would have loved to have done this.  Why do we restrict our
time when we have no deadlines?  I think that we both are starting to feel
a bit dazed by the geography and the distances...and a desire to find home again.

So we kept going to the Four Corners:  It too is on the Navaho reservation, although
they must get a real kick out of the visitors like us who come to observe the totally
arbitrary point where four states come together.  Of course it doesn't stop them
from offering a wide variety of kitch for sale, mixed in with good hand-crafted
silver and turquoise.

We both wanted to see the spot.  And here it is: Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico!

Blair agreed to have his picture taken with a limb in each state, but with one proviso:
He says he found a way to answer the question put by the Firesign Theater's "How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all!?'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Can_You_Be_in_Two_Places_at_Once_When_You're_Not_Anywhere_at_All

By doing this he doubled the ante!

He really is a great sport.  By the way he's the one taking most of the pictures so
far.  I obviously didn't stop to figure out how to eliminate my shadow from the
picture.

But the shadow gives you an idea that the day is coming to an end...and we still had
three hours of driving to hit Durango.  So we had to by-pass Mesa Verde... it's the
archaeological site of the Hopi Cliff dwellers of the area...

But there are so many places to revisit...We are determined to return.  On to Durango,
Kansas and Chicago.  Farewell to the Southwest.  We'll be back!