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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
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Vacation or Adventure in the Canyons of the Ancients
Story & Photos by Dennis Begin
My wife and I often disagree... do we take vacations or have adventures? If you are looking for a unique vacation/adventure, try the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. This is the only place in the United States where four states meet. These four states publish a beautiful ‘Grand Canyon Travel Planner’, featuring Canyons of the Colorado River, The Grand Staircase, Monuments and Land of the Ancients. Refer to: www.grandcircle.org. Plan on taking two weeks with the trip beginning and ending in Flagstaff, Arizona.
From Flagstaff, drive 45 miles [72 km] east on I-40 [old Route 66] and stop at Meteor Crater. Approximately 50,000 years ago, a meteor hit the earth at 45,000 mph, leaving a crater 11,200 m. [4000 feet] in diameter, 170 m. [570 feet] deep and a rim 45 m. [150 feet] above ground. It is one big hole and gives you a feeling of being on the moon. In fact, NASA used the bottom of the crater to train astronauts for the Apollo moon missions.
Twenty miles further east along I-40, is the town of Winslow, AZ. The town became instantly famous when the Eagles recorded ‘Take It Easy’ in 1972. Not only did the song make the Eagles famous, along with other songs such as ‘Hotel California’, but the town got into the act and built ‘The Standin’ on a Corner Park’. The lyrics of the song ‘Take It Easy’ are, “... I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow Arizona... It’s a girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to look at me...”. I stood on that very corner and no girl even glanced at me! Looking for another historical attraction, try the beautifully restored La Posada Hotel, a famous hotel built by the Fred Harvey chain and the Santa Fe Railroad. The best RV Park in the area is the O.K. RV Park in Holbrook, 26 miles [41 km] east on I-40.
Holbrook Az. was once called the town “too tough for women and churches”. Who could resist visiting a town with that slogan? In addition, where else can you find a former saloon and street called ‘Bucket of Blood’? This notorious former cowboy town is known for the Pleasant Valley Range War and the Sheriff Owens-Blevins Shootout in 1887. Holbrook today is very peaceful and better known for Route 66, the Painted Desert Inn, the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.
From Holbrook, turn north on Hwy. 191 and begin the ‘Canyons of Ancients Tour’. You are on the Navajo Indian Reserve, an area of 27,000 square miles and larger than 10 American states. Canyon de Chelly [means rock canyon] National Monument is America’s 8th best park, located at Chinle, AZ. The first inhabitants in the canyons were the Anasazi, or the ‘Ancient Ones’. The Anasazi civilization or ‘Ancestral Puebloans’ existed from 900 to 1300 AD. Their legacies are the splendid cliff dwellings such as: Antelope House, Ledge House, Mummy Cave Ruins and that ‘other’ White House. There are 3 canyons to explore, 2 scenic drives along the rim of the canyons, many viewpoints and Spider Rock. According to Navajo mythology, Spider woman lives on top of Spider Rock and eats children who misbehave. To really see the cliff dwellings, take a bus tour on the valley floor from a Navajo guide. Cottonwood RV Park just inside the park is free but has limited facilities.
Chaco Canyon near Farmington, New Mexico, is the next stop on the Canyon of the Ancients Tour. One word best describes Chaco Canyon - ‘mystery’. The mysteries range from why the Anasazi settled in this isolated valley, the 11 Great Houses they did build, the huge Casa Rinconada Kiva and the manner in which the Anasazi left this site. Pueblo Benito is the largest building ever constructed by the Anasazi and yet few people lived there. Other mysteries include the Fajada Butte sun dagger, the Great North Road and the Anasazi understanding of astrological alignment and time. View the DVD, ‘The Mystery of Chaco Canyon’, narrated by actor/director Robert Redford, which deals with the mysteries of Chaco Canyon. Stay in Farmington or Bloomfield. Gallo Campgrounds inside the park is available for smaller RV’s.
The third stop on this Canyons of the Ancients Tour is Mesa Verde, located near Cortez, Colorado. Mesa Verde [Green Table] is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an architectural wonder. Many of the cliff dwellings are located under the Chapin and Wetherill Mesas, situated in alcoves at nearly 7,000 feet. Occupied for nearly 700 years, the Anasazi perfected their masonry skills as illustrated in: Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House, Balcony House and the most famous, Cliff Palace. The Cliff Palace was home to 200 people, with 150 rooms, 23 round kivas and a central plaza. By 1250 AD, the Anasazi abandoned their cliff homes, leaving modern man to ponder the reasons why. The Anasazi of course never vanished, but evolved into the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma and other tribes. The Sundance RV Park in Cortez is a good place to stay.
One of the last stops on this Grand Circle Tour is Monument Valley in Utah/Arizona. Hwy. 163 goes through the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, with the Utah/Arizona border splitting the monuments. Monument Valley is not really a traditional valley, but an outcropping of sedimentary rock dating back 200 million years. The valley floor is really the Colorado Plateau, dotted with 1000' monoliths, buttes, mesas, arches and spires called monuments. The rock is largely sandstone, colored with red oxide and shaped by the wind, frost and heat. Many of the rock formations look like animals, such as the Eagle, Bear and Rabbit and Setting Hen. The two great monoliths called East and West Mittens, according to Navajo mythology, were the mittens [gloves] of their Gods. You may recognize Monument Valley from the many western movies or the place Forest Gump stopped running across the United States at Mile 13. Take a bus tour from a Navajo guide to really view the ‘Valley Between the Rocks’. There is an excellent RV Park in the little village of Gouldings, with a free John Wayne movie shown every night at the museum.
Time to return to Flagstaff. From Kayenta take Hwys.160 and 89 south. Along the way, the major tourist attractions include the Navajo National Monument, Tuba Dinosaur site, Cameron Trading Post and Wupatki Ruins. For the tourist, there is no shortage of attractions, facilities, good roads and a safe and welcome feeling.
Remember, this can be a Great Adventure!