Four Corners Re-Visited

                             For the last week or so we’ve been in Durango, Colorado “Critter Sitting” for Lorelyn and Travis’s Farm(?) Animals. We have been left in charge of nine chickens, three goats, and two cats. I use the phrase “In Charge” with a clear dose of reality. We assumed that we would be “In Charge”, but in reality the cats are, in particular, the fluffy black one, CubScout. The fluffy white one, LingLing, is just along for the ride.

                   Cub is not your normal cat. Especially considering that he is a male cat. He loves to be cuddled, will sit on anyone’s lap, and acts more like a dog than a traditional “I’m going to ignore you because I know that is what you don’t want” cat.

                   LingLing on the other hand is shy and skittish. But that’s only when she doesn’t know you. Once you’re in the LL Club she will approach you, allow you to touch her and if you’re REALLY lucky, she’ll jump up on the couch and settle in next to you. You will then be rewarded by being able to pet the softest animal on the planet.

                   It can take years to gain entrance to this very exclusive Club.

                   I am it’s newest member.

                   Rick has gained entry into the CubScout Buddy Club.

                   Who is this Rick guy you may ask?

                   Rick is the reason that we toured the Four Corners Region while we were out here.

                             The Backstory.

                   Rick is Paula’s brother and just turned 75. He has always dreamed of seeing the West, but alas, was stuck on the east Coast. Enter his HSO, (Highly Significant Other) Patricia. She had asked us a while ago about where to go and what to do in the West as we are just a tad more experienced in this department. We explained about Durango, it’s proximity to the Four Corner region, Mesa Verde National Park, the Durango Silverton Scenic Railroad, and a host of other great places around here.

                             We didn’t think any more about that exchange until Lorelyn and Travis asked us if we would be available again to Critter Sit while they went away for an extended trip to Spain. Our answer was obviously yes, (as we have no schedule) and we love coming to Durango. Then it hit us… Let’s ask if it would be OK if Rick and Pat came for a few days when we were there. The answer is obvious as I am now writing about it!

                             Rick had no idea about where he was going until they went to the airport. He obviously didn’t know that we would be on the other end to greet them.

                             What followed was a whirlwind tour of the Four Corners Region and Durango led by the P&D Western Travel Services Ltd. Their slogan was a very reassuring “Serving the Four Corners Region for about Two Weeks”

                             Anyway, we (and now you) visited most of the great sites around here. We gave them that afternoon and evening to recover from Travel and then at 5AM the next morning reveille was sounded as departure for Utah and Arizona was scheduled for 6AM.   

                             The Troops were ready!

                             It takes about two and a half hours to reach Bluff, Utah, our first stopping point. On our way we passed Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, Colorado, Sleeping Ute Mountain and a ton of other sites and sights. Bluff is an old Mormon settlement, and its fort and stately homes are still in good shape and are actually highly desirable as second homes. We stopped there at the Twin Rocks Trading Post, spoke with Steve the owner, and made a few purchases of authentic Native American wares.

                             Our next destination was the Valley of the Gods, which is of the same geological formation as Monument Valley (which will be visited a little later in the day) There is a seventeen-mile loop that needs to be traveled in order to experience these gigantic monoliths, cliffs, and buttes.

                             The loop exits on the road that brings us to the Moki Dugway, a hairpin, no guardrails, dirt road that climbs the vertical face of Cedar Mesa and exits at the top which is a thousand feet higher than where we were.

To say the drive is exhilarating is to say the absolute least. This road was cut back in the 1950’s by a company that was extracting uranium ore from mines north of here and need to get it down to processors in Mexican Hat.

                    Yes, that’s then name of the little town, and you’ll see why later.

                   Cedar Mesa is the home to thousands and thousands of Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites. Some still need to be discovered. The Ancestral Puebloans, or the Anasazi as they were previously known, lived around the massive Colorado Plateau around a thousand years ago and had been here for thousands of years until various circumstances (prolonged drought?) drove them further south. What remains are many, many sites such as Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Canyon De Shelly and so many other smaller examples of their inhabitance, that they remain uncounted.

                             Our next destination was Muley Point, an overlook like no other. It sits at the very end of Cedar Mesa and drops directly down to the desert floor, a thousand feet below. While that may be dramatic enough, add to that the view directly in front of us was Monument Valley which straddles the Utah and Arizona border.

                                      This spot is where P&D Western Travel Services had scheduled for us to have lunch.

                                      It was quite the view!

                             Onward we pressed, back down the Moki Dugway and across the San Juan River, (one of the major tributaries to the Colorado) into northern Arizona and then arriving at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. That’s right, Monument Valley is entirely ensconced in the Navajo Reservation and is run by them, not the National Park Service. Their Visitor’s Center is top-notch and sits directly in front of the most famous of the monument formations, the Mittens. These are immediately recognizable as they have been in practically every John Ford directed Western Movie (especially the John Wayne ones!) and the old Marlboro commercials.

                             Back across the San Juan, we stopped at Mexican Hat for photos, then we made our way back to Bluff stopping at Sand Island Petroglyphs for an up-close view of these works of art. Most date back a thousand years or so, but the folks who inhabited these parts have been leaving their versions of “Kilroy Was Here” for many years before that.

                             A total of Three Hundred Eighty-Nine miles were logged that day before we arrived back at the ranch.

                             It was a great day!

                             The next day we stayed locally, had lunch at the Diamond Belle Saloon at the Strater Hotel in Durango. This place has been a Main Street fixture since 1888 and has its share of stories to tell. After a stroll on Main Street we drove to the edge of town and wound our way up to the Animas Valley Overlook which tops out at 9000 feet. The view is spectacular, looking north into the San Jaun Mountains and down into Durango. We were just killing time until 5 PM when the Bookshelf and Barber Speakeasy opened.

Yup, you need the password (which changes daily, and can be found on social media) and when you enter the barbershop (It’s real, you can get a haircut and shave!) there’s a guy “waiting for a haircut” who looks questionably at you until you utter the password. He then pushes a button which rings a bell inside, and then pushes on one of the bookshelves and the door swings open to reveal a very dimly lit interior of a swanky hidden night spot. To say it’s cool is a drastic understatement!

The next day was spent on the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. This historic railway winds its way up the Animas River about 50 miles until it arrives in the old mining town of Silverton. The 1880’s saw its beginning and its been running ever since. The ride is the attraction, powered by an authentic steam locomotive and pulling old railway cars of several types, it now hauls gaping passengers up and down the mountain instead of ore.

          This Scenic Railroad is on the bucket list of every railroad fan on the planet and that is not an exaggeration!

The next day we went back to the Railroad in order to visit their really fine Museum which houses some very interesting artifacts of traveling in those by-gone years and some interesting local items. It is a very well put together presentation, worth an admission price, but it is, in fact, free to anyone walking by.

          The afternoon was partially spent at the Southern Ute Tribes “Sky Ute Casino” where some money exchanged hands and was never seen again. Oh well.

          The final day of exploring these parts was spent at the second oldest National Park, that of Mesa Verde. “Cliff Palace” was “discovered” in 1888 by the Wetherill family who had a ranch at the base of the Mesa. These cliff dwellings are quite the sight and are included in the list of World Heritage Sites with all the respect that they deserve.

That brings us to yesterday, the day of departure of Rick and Pat. It was fun revisiting all of these places, some of which we hadn’t been to since 2015. It was even more fun showing them to folks who now appreciate all of these incredible sights, sites, and experiences that Durango and the Four Corners Region have to offer.

          P&D Western Travel Services Ltd. operates very sporadically, and it is not recommended to engage their services as you may wait for what seems like forever for them to schedule you. What is recommended is that you get yourselves on a plane to Denver, then on to Durango, get a room and a car and wind your way in, around, and through this fascinating area. P&D Western Travel Services will be happy to help you with the planning of your expedition.

Just leave a message here!  😊

I have to go now and tend to the herd, flock, and clutter (yes, that’s what a group of cats are called). In this case, maybe we should call them a “Fluffer”!