Western Parks Trip--Day 17, Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Today's adventures began at a more leisurely hour, almost 9 AM.  We headed to The Four Corners Monument.  It marks the meeting point of four states, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.  It also marks the boundary between to semi-autonomous Native American governments, the Navajo Nation which operates the concessions at the Monument, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.  Did you know there is still controversy about the New Mexico border?  A re-survey in the 1903 showed the border was incorrect, Teddy Roosevelt vetoed a Congressional effort to change the border. 

In booths all around the center plaque are vendors of Navajo jewelry, pottery and other art objects. There were many beautiful pottery pieces with documents explaining the meaning of the symbols.  David bought a money clip with an elk on it which symbolizes the messenger or hunter.    I bought a  silver blue opal ring.

From 4 Corners we headed to the Hovenweep ("deserted valley" in Ute/Paiute language) Monument.  These structures straddle the Utah and Colorado borders and were discovered in 1854 by W. D. Huntington who was leading a Mormon expedition of southeastern Utah.  About the year 700, Puebloans filtered into this territory onto Cajon Mesa.  The final wave of building occurred about 1230 around canyon heads near water sources.

Kathie and I walked about 1 mile of the loop near the Visitors Center.  David was able to see 5 structures by just walking the 300 yard paved section.

The Twin Towers had 16 rooms. One tower is oval and the other horseshoe shaped. Original wooden lintels are still in place in one tower.  These towers are among the most carefully constructed buildings in the entire Southwest.

Your local tract home!!

 Archeologists gave this style the unit type  basic building plan, a few living and storage rooms and one kiva, a unit type house.  Two of the openings in the wall of the room east of the kiva were possibly used to mark summer and winter solstices, information extremely important to farmers. 

Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower consist of two D-shaped towers perched on the rim of Little Ruin Canyon.  The stone walls, two and three courses thick, show detailed masonry techniques.  Growth rings on a wooden beam in one tower indicate that the log was cut in AD 1277, one of the latest dates of any structure in the San Juan (River) region.  Residents who lived here were farmers, not kings and queens.

As we walked back to the Visitors Center, we passed a placard for the Sleeping Ute Mountain.  The Ute Chief's head lies to the North and toes are near the New Mexico border.  His crossed arms form the highest point.  Legend says that someday the Ute Chief will rise again and return the land to its native inhabitants.  The Sleeping Ute Mountain lie in the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and its distinctive form can be seen from almost every location in the greater Four Corners region.

Sleeping Ute Mountain is off on the skyline.

We left Hovenweep again marveling at the variety of structures we saw today.  The route back to camp was along Colorado 10 which runs through agriculture terrain--huge fields of irrigated alfalfa (hay) with humongous stacks of the very heavy bales, corn, wheat and a thick grass-like crop I didn't recognize. We also saw soybeans being irrigated. 

We had spaghetti and meatballs over pasta, some of which was gluten-free spaghetti (which didn't impress Kathie), salad, and garlic bread.  We had contemplated firing up the grill, but once again rain moved in.  We were able to eat on our picnic table, though, between showers.  

Another varied, educational day!!