Four Corners Decision

Hey, how can you get out here and not contort yourself so all your limbs are in different states? Plus, we have a nifty photo of Arizona taken from the Four Corners Monument in 1970 thanks to our neighbor Jill. The plan was to get to the monument, eat from the vendors we’d heard about, and then decide where to go.

There is nothing for miles around until the monument itself which is surrounded by artisans, souvenir stands, and three food vendors all offering variations on fry bread. Mainly, though, it was hot. Brutally, unrelentingly hot. After $12 to Navajo Nation (following the $3 per person entrance fee), we were somewhat fed. We took the obligatory photos then we laid our map of Utah on the hood of the car and were promptly blinded by the reflection of the sun. There is no break from the sun and heat there. No hint of shade. We made a hasty decision to head to Capitol Reef and use it as a base to see Arches as well, since they looked close together. Ten miles down the road, after the A/C had cleared our brains, we pulled over to re-assess. We didn’t want to risk missing the “big name” places on this trip. We know we’ll come back to this region but we didn’t want to rush through things. So we decided to head for Zion and Bryce. Problem was, as they say in Maine, you can’t get there from here. We would have to drive out of our way many miles, either to the north or the south. It seemed a bit shorter to go the southern route, so we were Arizona bound.