Durango, CO to Kayenta, AZ

Traveling from Durango west to northern Arizona on US-160 today took us into the Navajo Nation as we crossed the Four Corners intersection.  Occupying parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, the Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering some 27,000 square miles (slightly bigger than West Virginia).  The Four Corners monument (pictured above) is located on Navajo land and operated by the tribe.

Since our last visit to this quadripoint shared by four states in 1995, the Navajo have made many improvements.  Formerly a simple cement pad surrounding a geographic survey marker, the monument now includes an impressive plaza surrounded by kiosks where native artisans sell souvenirs and food during the busy summer season.  Today only a few vendors were present, and the final stage of work on new restroom facilities was underway.  After walking around in Utah and enjoying our picnic lunch in New Mexico, we continued into Arizona on US-160, which took us all the way into Kayenta, our destination for tonight.

As we drove through the Four Corners area today, we learned a new term—diatreme.  In fact, we saw numerous examples of diatremes today.  Though a geologist would define it very differently, in simple terms, a diatreme is a rock-filled volcanic vent that, over millions of years, breaches the earth's surface as the terrain around it erodes.  Though Monument Valley is undoubtedly the best known collection of diatremes in the Navajo Volcanic Field, many others pop into view for those driving in this area.

Usually these formations are given names based on their shape.  Sometimes the appellation becomes formalized, like Shiprock in New Mexico, but often the designation remains a colloquial nickname.  Chimney Rock and Shiprock seem to be popular designations for obvious reasons.  South of Cortez, CO, we drove out Mancos Canyon Road on a Ute Reservation to check out this particular Chimney Rock.  A New Mexico family was visiting, and the grandmother was familiar with the spot.  On site was a former visitor center, which operated in the 1970s for those who wanted to see this diatreme.

As we neared Kayenta, we paused to look at Church Rock across a field.  Behind the rock in the distance is Agathla Peak, another eroded volcanic plug which rises more than 1,500 feet.  After this rocky day, we were glad to find shelter in Kayenta for the night.  Tomorrow we plan to revisit Monument Valley before continuing west to Page, Arizona.

Where four states meet

Chimney Rock near Towaoc, CO

Church Rock

CO-124 north of Mancos, where we searched for letterboxes this morning

Mesa Verde National Park

After two previous encounters with bad luck in our attempts to see Mesa Verde, we should have thought twice before scheduling a visit to the largest archaeological preserve in the United States on the 13th day of this trip.  Fortunately, we missed the significance, and for once, our lack of attention paid off.  We went, we visited, and we checked it off our list at last.

At the park's new visitor and research center, we found what the archaeological ruins in the park are missing—people.  The ancestral Puebloan people, often called Anasazi, who built the cliff dwellings that are the heart of the park lived in the area only from the year 600 to 1300.  Dioramas built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s placed people in the settings on a miniature scale.

At the new visitor center life-size mannequins portray ancestral Puebloans performing common tasks such as farming or grinding corn.  To lend authenticity, masks were made from living descendants of the ancient people.  These masks were used to create the faces for the mannequins in the exhibits.  Twenty-six modern Native American tribes who live in Arizona and New Mexico trace their lineage to the cliff dwelling Anasazi.

Mesa Verde occupies more than 80 square miles and encompasses more than 4,000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings.  After entering the park at the main gate, we were greeted by a sign indicating the museum where we would sign on for a ranger-led tour of one of the ruins was 23 miles ahead.  On the way, we paused at the Park Point Overlook, the highest point in the park at 8,572 ft, and home to the park fire tower.  The overlook offered spectacular panoramic views of the park.

Arriving at the museum around noon, we had plenty of time to enjoy our picnic lunch and visit the exhibits before our tour of Spruce Tree House (pictured above) at 1:00.  This is the third largest and best preserved cliff dwelling in the park.  A short but steep walk behind the museum rewarded us with an up-close look at a cliff village occupied by ancestral Pueblo people between about 1200 and 1280.

Set in an 216-ft long alcove in the sandstone cliff, this particular dwelling was much larger than most.  Archaeologists estimate that a village of 80 people lived here in 130 rooms.  The dwelling is within a few hundred yards of a spring, which served as their water source.

Spruce Tree House

The heavy coating of soot on the alcove ceiling and many of the walls was deposited by small fires used for cooking, light and warmth.  Evidence from the soot layering suggests that this alcove's occupation predated this 13th century village.  Ranger Janice proved to be an excellent guide and teacher who has a deep respect for the ancient peoples and their history.

After the guided tour, we drove the six-mile Mesa Top Loop road, which offered views of the full range of ancient architecture at Mesa Verde, from the earliest pithouses to the latest cliff dwellings.  Interpretive signs and materials described the progression of homes and religious structures of the Puebloans who lived in the area from around 600 to 1300.

Square Tower House, occupied 1200-1300 A.D.

The impressive Square Tower House features a four-story tower standing against the curving back wall of its alcove.  This tower had windows, doorways and flooring, and, as at Spruce Tree House, the inner walls were plastered.  About 60 of the original 80 rooms of this house remain.

After finally having the opportunity to see these remarkable dwellings, we certainly were glad we persisted with our efforts to visit Mesa Verde National Park.  Tomorrow we plan to revisit the Four Corners monument on our way to Arizona for a couple of days.

Museum diorama created by CCC in 1930s

Durango, CO

After the harrowing events of yesterday, we decided to take it easy in Durango today.  We searched for a few letterboxes around town.  Looking for one box led us to a terrific overview of the town (pictured above).

While searching for Cabin in the Woods letterbox at Greenmont Cemetery, we saw a sizable group of mule deer who had staked out this territory for grazing.  Some of the does ran off when they thought we were a bit too close, but this bold buck and his honey were not intimidated in the least.  They did look up when we whistled to give us a photo opp.

Buck & Betty

Our final letterboxing of the day was on a loop trail at Animas Overlook, about 14 miles outside Durango and 2,500 feet above the town.  Junction Creek Road took us there, the final seven miles on a winding gravel track that was mostly muddy, sometimes slushy with snow and ice.  In an interesting twist, when we reached the overlook, we found the trail itself was paved, though much of it was snowy.

Animas Overlook Trail

Finding five letterboxes along the .8 mile trail, we took one last look at the spectacular views of the Animas Valley and Needles Mountains before heading back down to Durango for the night.

Animas Overlook View

It was a very relaxing day, taking us eight boxes closer to our goal of 3,000 by the end of the year.  Even though we have tried twice unsuccessfully, we're planning to attempt a visit to Mesa Verde National Park in nearby Cortez tomorrow.  In 1995, we arrived at the park to find it closed due to a Clinton era government shutdown.  Last December, our visit was aborted due to snow and whiteout conditions.  What will tomorrow bring...our third strike or the proverbial charm?

 space  

Alamosa, CO to Durango, CO
Since we haven't done too much letterboxing on this trip and we still would like to make it to 3,000 finds by the end of the year, today seemed the right time to get started.  The weather was blue sky beautiful, and Alamosa was conveniently well supplied with boxes.

After a couple of hours finding boxes around town, we decided it was time to leave for Montrose, about 200 miles northwest, and our destination for tonight.  When we entered the Montrose hotel address in the GPS, we were offered an opportunity to see the weather warning along our route.  Yes, please.

A winter weather advisory was in effect for part of the area we would be driving through, we learned.  And with an 11,312-ft. pass over the Continental Divide smack in the middle of the winter weather, we opted for discretion over valor and decided to shift gears and take a southerly route to Durango and save Montrose for another time.  Before starting out, we checked the weather for towns along US-160, which would take us all the way to Durango.  All looked clear, though snow was forecast for late afternoon and evening.

Moseying west on US-160 from Alamosa, we couldn't resist finding one more letterbox at the one-of-a-kind Movie Manor Hotel (pictured above) in the small town of Monte Vista.  While working at his drive-in theatre in the 1950s, it seems that George Kelloff dreamed up the Movie Manor—a hotel from which all of his guests could view the movie on the drive-in screen through a large picture window in their rooms.  Each cozy room is named for a movie star and has an overhead speaker with piped in, adjustable sound for the feature screen.

Continuing toward Durango, we noticed in the next few miles that, even on our southerly route, some of the eastbound vehicles were wearing traces of snow.  By the time we reached South Fork around 11:45, we were beginning to enter the San Juan Mountains.  We had gained 700 feet in elevation, and light snow was falling.  Low hanging clouds ahead promised more to come.  At the edge of town, a flashing warning light cautioned that commercial vehicles would need to chain up for Wolf Creek Pass (10,850 ft.) to cross the Continental Divide.  We had chains in the car, but the precaution didn't seem to apply to us, so we disregarded it.  We continued west, and things began to get interesting.

11:57 - Looks like more snow ahead (8,500 ft)

12:02 p.m. - Hey, this is really pretty!

12:12  p.m.- Road snow-packed, snow pelting, very windy (9,216 ft)

12:15 p.m. - More snow on road, snow falling steadily, 29° (9,300 ft.)

12:19 p.m. - Visibility worsening due to falling and blowing snow, 25° (10,102 ft.)

12:24 p.m. - Visibility near zero at times, 100 ft from top of pass, 22° (10,753 ft.)

12:28 p.m. - Finally at the top of Wolf Creek Pass and headed down, 7% grade next 9 miles, very limited visibility

12:34 p.m. - We caught a break when a snow plow pulled out ahead of us, sleet and snow falling, 26° (9,528 ft.)

12:36 p.m. - So thankful to be following the plow; eastbound car stuck in snow (9,217 ft.)

12:39 p.m. - Road getting clearer but we decide against scenic overlook, 27° (8,727 ft.)

12:44 p.m. - Heavy sleet falling, snow plow has pulled off, 30° (7,741 ft.)

1:04 p.m. - Entering Pagosa Springs, sleet mixed with rain & snow, 33° (7,114 ft.)

Without further incident, we arrived in Durango, spent and hungry, a little after 3:00, having stopped for one last letterbox at Chimney Rock, just west of Pagosa Springs.  At 6,512 ft. elevation, Durango was a warm spot with a pleasant temperature of 41°.  Guidance from the Homewood Suites desk clerk sent us to a nearby location of Zia Taqueria, a local fresh Mex chain.  Terrific food at a very reasonable price, though really, at that point, we were so glad to be off the road, anything would have been fine.

Pueblo, CO to Alamosa, CO

Trying to keep an open mind, but harboring a bit of skepticism after our experience at Florissant yesterday, we left Pueblo this morning and set our GPS for Great Sand Dunes National Park near the town of Alamosa.  High winds buffeted the car as we drove down I-25 for our last time on this trip (maybe).  Torn from their roots by the wind, tumbleweeds were swept from the roadside into the traffic lanes.  Once we turned west on US-160 at Walsenburg, the wind picked up its pace, and at times the highway seemed a stage for a tumbleweed ballet.

Future tumbleweeds in the foreground

When we reached the park around 11:00, we discovered that there really are dunes, and they really are large.  In fact, these are the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising as high as 750 feet from the floor of the San Luis Valley.  They were formed when sand from the Rio Grande and its tributaries was blown into this valley and couldn't make it over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  Exhausted, the wind dropped the sand here and blew it into dunes.  This process continues, and the dunes are still growing.  In another 440,000 years (their estimated age), they may double in size.

Two visitors climb the dunes

Though the sand is tan in color, different sun angles can make it appear a range of colors, from dark brown to gray to almost snow white.  When we took a walk out into the dunes, the wind was blowing steadily at about 18 miles an hour with gusts to 25.  Slogging through soft sand while being pelted by sand and pummeled by wind at an elevation of 8,200 feet in 45° weather did not inspire us to climb to the top of the dunes.  Maybe 30 years ago but not today.

We did enjoy our visit to this park and had our confidence in the National Park Service somewhat restored.  After spending tonight in Alamosa, we're planning to drive northwest to Montrose tomorrow, weather permitting, and check out the Black Canyon National Park.

Cheyenne, WY to Pueblo, CO

Since we arrived early enough to make our pilgrimage to the Wyoming State Capitol yesterday afternoon, we had only to search for a few letterboxes before leaving Cheyenne this morning.  Results of our search were mixed, with some boxes exactly where they were said to be (like the one hidden on the 1242 pictured above) and others clearly missing, a pattern which would repeat itself later in the day.

Driving south on I-25 from Cheyenne, we stopped at the innovative Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center.  Opened in September of last year, the 37,000 sq. ft. building encompasses meeting rooms, tourism offices, traditional rest area facilities, a gallery, and a host of interactive exhibits with life-size elements representing Wyoming wildlife, history and activities.  In addition to its exceptional functionality, the center is a delight to the eyes and a marvel of green design and engineering.

Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

The colorful exterior walls are striped to represent cross-sections of the earth and the layers of time that it took to build it, using a sustainable building technique called rammed earth.  Rather than hauling off unwanted dirt from the building site, the contractor mixed the earth with sand, clay and gravel and a small amount of cement as an emulsifier.  Various types of oxides were added to create different colors in the individual layers.  After the mixture was dampened, machinery was used to ram the mixture into a frame, where it hardened into a solid building material.  The forms were then removed to reveal these stunning walls.

Welcome Center reception desk

Carrying the green construction indoors, the wood paneling for the reception area was reclaimed from Wyoming snow fences.  Once inside, visitors are introduced to the state through interactive displays representing all parts of the state and many periods of history.  There's even a life-sized cast of a Columbian mammoth similar to one at a Casper geological museum.  And it's set in a replica of a working archaeological camp.

A letterbox is on site, as well as walking trails, a wildflower green roof on the building, and wetlands formed from reclaimed runoff water from I-25.  So much to like here.  Though we were very impressed with a New Mexico rest area we visited last year, this one has no peers.  It's a destination itself.  Well done, Wyoming!

Continuing down the interstate through Denver, we were just making tracks to get back toward central Colorado.  With an offer of a free salad, P.F. Chang's lured us in for lunch, and their Colorado Springs location was conveniently located along our path.  When we left there, we drove west 35 miles on US-24, past Pikes Peak, to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  Sure, it took us 70 miles out of our way (round trip), but who could resist this appealing description on the NPS web site for this fascinating preserve?

Color us gobsmacked when the first thing we heard from the park ranger in the visitor center was, "You won't see any fossils out there."  Say what?  Yep, that's what he said, and that's what he meant.  Call us crazy but we actually expected to see a profusion of fossils in situ.  The "No Fossil Collecting" sign in the parking lot certainly encouraged that misconception.
     

Fossils poorly exhibited in visitor center

It turns out that the vast majority of fossils at the Florissant Bed are still sleeping well beneath the soil.  A handful are poorly exhibited in a small display area at the visitor center.  Oh, and a half dozen or so petrified redwood stumps are on site, some with a pork-financed million dollar pavilion protecting them from the elements.  Don't rocks usually thrive in outdoor environments?  The old Rocky Mountains seem to be doing alright without shelter.
     

Redwood stump in its cozy home.  How did it survive its first 34,000,000 years without shelter?

Further discussion with the ranger provided additional information about Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  Even though there are only a handful of fossils on exhibit there, more than 40,000 have been sent elsewhere to museums and the like.  So why did we drive all the way there?

One of the creative exhibits at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

The stump and the chump, who asks, "Is that really all there is?"

One blemish on the Colorado Capital lies in the legislative chambers.  In a well-meaning but misguided "modernization" in the 1950s, officials decided to lower the ceilings in both legislative chambers, covering an elegant dome and skylight in each.  The new ceiling was covered with acoustic tile to improve sound absorption and reduce echo.  When that proved effective, it was thought to be a sound decision, so tiles were also used to cover the walls in both chambers.  Fast forward 60 years, and now a project is underway to remove the tiles and restore the chambers to their historic grand style.  Architects were relieved when recent spot testing of tile removal in both chambers uncovered ornate gold filigree stenciling that was layered over paint on the walls when the chambers were built in 1894.   

TUESDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2013

Colorado State Capitol Stats:

• Architectural style:  Corinthian
• Exterior:  Colorado granite
• Dome:  24 carat gold leaf
• Height:  272 ft
• Construction:  1886-1908
• Original cost:  $2,704,875

Eye candy everywhere

Inner dome

Grand staircase and rotunda murals depicting Colorado history

House Chamber

Gallery of (U.S.) Presidents