Last night we
researched, discussed and then decided not to go to Monument Valley this
morning. It boiled down to this: We’d already seen some astounding landscape
along Hwy 89 and Hwy 160 on our 2 day drive from Flagstaff to Kayenta, and then
again on our bike ride to the Utah border yesterday afternoon. I have no doubt that the buttes in Monument
Valley are an incredible sight but we’d seen a lot of eye popping scenery
during our time in Arizona. I was kind
of feeling that one more thing was going to send me into sensory overload. So
we opted not to do Monument Valley….save something for next time. J
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We stopped at
the Four Corners Monument on our way out of Arizona….I’ve been there before but
wanted to stop again because, well, it’s like the ultimate Roadside America thing
to do! It’s really not a big showy monument….just a brass survey marker set in a
cement pad, with lines radiating outward.
That makes it easier to figure out how to be in all 4 states at the same
time, which as Kim proved really didn’t require extraordinary maneuvers. It’s
fun, though, to watch people get creative.
The four corners coming together like they do is called a quadripoint….I
like that it looks like the corners of a quilt patch. I know there’s been talk about the surveyor’s marker
being in the wrong place, but if the surveying was accurately done over a
century ago with tools available at the time and all parties were okay with the
outcome, what does it serve to question the location now? It is
where it is and who is going to change it? Certainly not the Navajo, whose land it’s on. There are permanent booths set up in a square
surrounding the monument where Native crafts are sold. As we were strolling around, Kim asked one
guy if he had to rent his stall….Yes and the rent goes to the tribe from that
particular state. His was on the
Colorado side, so the rent went to the Colorado Ute Tribe. But it was interesting that all the crafters
in the stalls along the Colorado side seemed to be selling the same items. Hmmm…..
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The truck has
been leaking anti-freeze pretty much the whole trip, but Kim couldn’t find the
problem and the temperature gauge has been in the normal range the whole time. He
has been checking the levels and putting anti-freeze in as needed. Back in Cedar
City, when we had the alternator issue, he asked the mechanics to check it out;
they couldn’t find a problem, and yet it continues to leak. Mystifying, costly and somewhat smelly. J So today we decided to take the time to have
it checked out again. Stopped for the
night in Trinidad, CO, where there’s a Ford dealership just down the road from
our hotel. Tomorrow morning Kim is going
to take the truck down and see if they have time to look at it. If not, we’ll keep a supply of anti-freeze on
hand and just keep feeding the beast.
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Today, when we
stopped to let the engine cool so more anti-freeze could be added, Kim took the
opportunity to check the bikes. Quite
disconcerting to find that the back tie downs on Pegasus had come loose,
allowing him to lean over into Bernie, who, in turn, was leaning against the
wall. While the back tie downs had come
loose before, Pegasus always remained upright.
Neither bike had tipped sideways before.
The way the bikes are staggered, Bernie’s right hand grip rubbed against
Pegasus’ windshield, leaving a mark and Pegasus’ left grip rubbed against
Bernie’s gas tank, leaving the paint scratched up. L A new windshield was already on my list and giving
Bernie a new look had been discussed last year, but that was before
telescopes. Once the bikes are off the
trailer, we’ll give the damage closer inspection and go from there.
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As we were
traveling east through Colorado, we admired the snow covered mountains in front
of us. Driving along we suddenly saw a sign that indicated we would reach the
summit of Wolf Creek Pass in 8 miles and just that quick, we found ourselves among the snow covered mountains. I scrambled for the map to see
if we were going to be in another ‘Curves and Mountain Grades’ situation. No, this road looked to be a bit more
sensible on that front and thankfully there was
no snow on the roads, just on the surrounding hillsides. Going into a hairpin turn, we passed 4 big
horn sheep grazing at the side of the road. After the turn, we pulled into a turnout to
see if we could see the sheep below. I
was wearing shorts and was surprised at how pleasant the temperature was. Because there was snow, I expected it to be
cold but it wasn’t. The depth of snow along the road increased as we climbed
higher up the mountain….I could see where snowmobilers had been having some
fun. There was also a ski resort near
the summit that appeared to be closed. There were several waterfalls coming down the
rocks alongside the road, also. I wonder if the snow ever totally melts off
the mountain.
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We’re in
Mountain Standard Time for real now. No
more clock confusion…we’re two hours behind Michigan. Now we start the process of getting our body
clocks back on the right time.
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Just when I
thought that all the wildlife had disappeared, we hit the jackpot along 160
through Colorado. Earlier in the day, I
saw a mule deer and then we saw the 4 bighorn sheep on the way up the mountain. Down off the mountain in the hilly plains
area, we were cruising along just before dusk and saw pronghorn, lots of
pronghorn along the way. Then not far
down the road we saw a herd of elk…9 or 10 with two of them having antlers. Of course, we stopped to take pictures. As I was doing that, I heard a very melodic
bird song, figured out where it was coming and snapped a picture of the
bird. It turned its head just at the
right time so that I could see the yellow bib of a meadowlark. J
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