October 28, 2011 Part 1 – Travel to Monument Valley

We left our little spot at the Elks, stopped at the Carwash on 20th and Dustin to dump and off went went to the west – :-).

(Note: Picture intensive blog!)

Shiprock seen from the town of Shiprock:

 

And the road goes on…  High Desert – Elevation over 4000’:

Cows/Cattle along the way:

AWESOME!:

Red sandy and rocks:

Into Arizona:

More cattle and horses – lots of wild horses:

The road continues on:

and on, but wait, what is that in the distance:

Huge rocks just jutting up from the landscape:

Waves in the rocks:

Strange swirls in the rocks - (aliens???):

Everything is so red:

Homes dotting the landscape:

A BIG home dotting the landscape:

More of those strange rocks:

Wonder what this means:

And they continue to get more numerous:

We stopped at the Burger King in Kayenta.   Although I am not a big fan of BK, this one had an exhibit on items from King Mike who was a Navajo Code Talker in World War II – very interesting.

Leaving Kayenta and heading into Monument Valley – more of those HUGE ROCKS:

 

And we have arrived!

(Because this is so picture intensive, I will have a part 2 for the rest of our day.

Miles Traveled: 155 Miles

Routes Traveled:

New Mexico: Airport Road; Municipal Drive, E 20th Street (stop to dump); E. 20th Street; Butler Avenue, US-64

Arizona: US-64; US-160; US-163;

Utah: US-163; Monument Valley Road

Arizona: Monument Valley Road

October 27, 2011 – Aztec Ruins National Monument

We woke this morning to the cold – 37 degrees – brrr, and cloudy skies.  We hung out for a few hours until it cleared and then off we went to the Aztec Ruins National Monument.  First a side note… we followed the directions from our new GPS – Rand McNally 5510 – that took us to really bad dirt roads (which we decided not to take).   After a couple “recalculating” and no national park signs that we could see, we went back to town to find out where it was.   Lo and Behold, here was a very nice paved road right to the visitor center and the ruins.

So how do I feel about the new GPS?  Well some things I really like but…others like today, it leaves a lot to be desired…  (The GPS could not even find the Farmington PO today..not a good thing!)

Once we found the Visitor Center, we had a great time.

Here is some detailed info on the ruins:

http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/hh/36/hh36t.htm

We started out talking with one of the rangers and then a short film in the visitor center.  Afterwards we took the self guided tour thru these incredible ruins.

These ruins contain over 450 rooms that were built by the ancestors of people of many southwestern tribes.  Although the descendants call their ancestors by different names depending on their tribe, they are generally called “ancestral Puebloans.”

These ruins that have been unearthed are “the West Ruins”.  There are many others in this area but visitors are only allowed in the “West Ruins.”

“ Archeologist Earl Morris began the first scientific excavation in 1916.  He and his crew removed the overburden to reveal the buildings and thousands of artifacts.  These 400 plus rooms enclose a central plaza.  A large, round, semi-subterranean building, the Great Kiva, dominates the plaza.  Within a mile are scores of other structures, indicating an extensive, planned community.”

What amazed me the most is that these ruins are over 1000 years old.  The National Park Service is trying their best to preserve them as well as doing other archeological digs in the area.   And even though they do know a lot, they also know so little.  In 1300 AD, all the peoples who occupied this area were gone.. and they are not sure why (although there are many theories.).

Here is the slideshow of the ruins:

OR

https://picasaweb.google.com/gardenhavens/102711AztecRuins?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The building that amazed me the most was the Great Kiva:

Above is the inside of the Giant Kiva.  Four massive pillars of alternating masonry and horizontal poles held up the ceiling beams, which in turn supported an estimated ninety five ton roof.  Each pillar rested on four shaped stone discs, weighing about 355 pounds apiece.  These discs are of limestone, which came from mountains at least forty miles away.    Now think about that…huge stones being carried at least forty miles.

Here is a picture of those stones..  the stones are original; the pillars are not:

The fire box is in the center.  The purpose of the two floor vaults on either side of the fire box is not certain.  They may have been covered with wood planks and used as foot drums.   Perhaps they were used for germinating seedlings, as similar features are used in some pueblos today.

What a great place.

We are learning more and more about our American Ancestors and it is fascinating us.

We checked into going to Chaco Canyon but right now with all the rain, the roads are poor so we will save that for another time.

 

After our tour, we stopped for lunch in the Aztec Restaurant – great lunch - and then slowly made our way back home.  We have decided to head west tomorrow.  We will be back in this area next spring – so much to do and see – so little time – :-))

Life is good so enjoy today!

October 25 -26, 2011 – Four States in an Instant!

This morning we woke to clouds and decided to do a road trip to the Four Corners Monument.   We headed west out of Farmington thru the town of Shiprock.   But I have to tell you that the most amazing sight is the Shiprock Peak that you see for many miles before the town:

  

 

Dramatic with those clouds, isn’t it!!

Here is some information from the internet:

“Shiprock (Navajo: Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings" or "winged rock"^[5]) is a rock formation rising nearly 1,583 feet (482.5 m) above the high-desert plain on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, USA. It has a peak elevation of 7,177 feet (2,187.5 m) above the sea level. It lies about 12 by 20 miles (19 by 32 km) southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peak. Governed by the Navajo Nation, the formation is in the Four Corners region and plays a significant role in Navajo religion, mythology and tradition. It is located in the center of the Ancient Pueblo People or Ancestral Puebloan civilization, a prehistoric Native American culture of the Southwest United States often referred to as the Anasazi.

Name

The Navajo name Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings" or "winged rock", for the peak refers to the legend of the great bird that brought them from the north to their present lands.^[6][7] The name "Shiprock" or Shiprock Peak or Ship Rock derives from the peak's resemblance to an enormous 19th-century clipper ship. However Anglos first called the peak "The Needle," a name given to the topmost pinnacle by Captain J.F. McComb in 1860.^[7] United States Geological Survey maps indicate that the name "Ship Rock" dates from the 1870s.^[6][7]

Religious and cultural significance

The peak and surrounding land are of great religious and historical significance to the Navajo people. It is mentioned in many Navajo myths and legends. Foremost is the peak's role as the agent that brought the Navajo to the southwest. According to one legend, after being transported from another place, the Navajos lived on the monolith, "coming down only to plant their fields and get water."^[7] One day, the peak was struck by lightning, obliterating the trail and leaving only a sheer cliff, and stranding the women and children on top to starve. The presence of people on the peak is forbidden "for fear they might stir up the chį́įdii (ghosts), or rob their corpses."^[7]

In a legend that puts the peak in a larger geographic context, Shiprock is said to be either a medicine pouch or a bow carried by the "Goods of Value Mountain", a large mythic male figure comprising several mountain features throughout the region. The Chuska Mountains comprise the body, Chuska Peak is the head, the Carrizo Mountains are the legs, and Beautiful Mountain is the feet.^[7]

One legend has it that Bird Monsters (Tsé Ninájálééh) nested on the peak and fed on human flesh. In one version, after Monster Slayer destroyed Déélééd at Red Mesa, he killed two adult Bird Monsters at Shiprock and changed two young ones into an eagle and an owl.^[7] (In another version, the Warrior Twins were summoned to rid the Navajo of the Bird Monsters.^[8])

The peak is mentioned in stories from the Enemy Side Ceremony and the Navajo Mountain Chant. It is associated with the Bead Chant and the Naayee'ee Ceremony.^[7]

Geology

Shiprock is composed of fractured volcanic breccia and black dikes of igneous rock called "minette". It is the erosional remnant of the throat of a volcano, and the volcanic breccia formed in a diatreme. The exposed rock probably was originally formed 2,500–3000 feet (750-1,000 meters) below the Earth's surface, but it was exposed after millions of years of erosion. Wall-like sheets of minette, known as dikes, radiate away from the central formation. Radiometric age determinations of the minette establish that these volcanic rocks solidified about 27 million years ago. Shiprock is in the northeastern part of the Navajo Volcanic Field; the field includes intrusions and flows of minette and other unusual igneous rocks that formed about 25 million years ago. Agathla, also called El Capitan, is another prominent volcanic neck of this field.^{[9] [10]}

^{More information at:}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiprock

http://sangres.com/newmexico/sanjuan/shiprock.htm

And the trip continued to WOW us:

 

 

 

 

We made it to the Four Corners National Monument.  The monument is run by the Navajo Parks and Recreation.  It is the only point in the United States shared by four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah). The monument also marks the boundary between two semi-autonomous native American governments, the Navajo Nation, which maintains the monument as a tourist attraction, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation.  (Yes,  that means being 6 places at the same time – :-)))

Here is the monument – actually it is in the middle of no where:

The official marker:

Andy in 6 places at the same time:

I just had to SIT in 6 places at the same time – LOL:

 

Many of the Navajo and Ute Indians were selling their crafts – such beautiful work.  I would have bought LOTS of stuff but living in a MH makes me be pretty frugal and space aware.   We did try Indian Fry Bread – it is just like our Funnel Cakes back home – different shape.   But it was really good!

We decided to walk off that bread by taking the  Dancing Horse Trail.

 

 

The San Juan River:

The Peak in the background is Ship Rock – we could see it from over 30 miles away – WOW:

Doesn’t it look like a moon scape!!

And we continued our way back thru Colorado:

 

 

ShipRock:

Chimney Rock:

Chimney Rock:

Ship Rock in the middle:

AWESOME!  AWESOME! and even more AWESOME!   We continue to be blown away by the scenery.

Back home, we had dinner at the Elks – Catfish – Yum.   And we got a chance to talk with Bob on the Elks Campground at Navajo Dam.  It is only open from May thru September and rented monthly but we may check it out next spring.

What a SPECTACULAR Day!!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

We woke to thunderstorms and rain and more rain.   We had hoped to go to the Aztec Ruins but too wet.  So instead we did laundry and shopping and just hung out.  It is getting colder but we hope to hang out here for a few more days before heading west.   More sightseeing to come.

Enjoy today…