TRAVELS with  the SOUTHWEST DUDE
  • Welcome to the West
  • Blog and Trip Reviews
  • Travel Archives
  • Contact Me
  • Music & Literature
  • Defense of the West

Blog and Trip Reviews

My Happy Place - Four Corners on the Colorado Plateau

10/18/2018

12 Comments

 
Picture
I recently wrote about returning to favorite places. A lifetime favorite, for me, is the Four Corners region of the United States. I could return there, and only there,  for the rest of my life and be quite satisfied.  For many reasons - perhaps some related to my content mental state these days - this was my favorite trip -of the many I have taken, in recent memory.  Hyperbole? Yeah, maybe - but, candidly, I can't imagine having a better trip.

I traveled to places new and old - strange and familiar. My comfort level toting around a  3000 lb. trailer has increased and my trip planning has improved as well.  I'm at that place of not worrying so much and enjoying things more...it's a good place to be. 

This trip also felt a bit like a watershed for my photography. I've reached a point where I've grown somewhat satisfied about my approach - I have struggled balancing fun, relaxation and photography.  On this little journey I felt I was able to better handle doing all the things I love to do. 

My goal was to get to Hovenweep National Monument as soon as I could and so I drove 525 miles the first day back to Homolovi Ruins State Park.  It was a long drive but between Audible, the MLB station on Sirius XM and my playlists it wasn't too brutal.  The sky was wonderful when I got to Homolovi. 
Picture
I gassed up and grabbed a quick bite at a chicken joint in Winslow and went to bed very early. I got up at the crack of dawn and headed for Four Corners.  For a few years now I've wanted to see Hovenweep National Monument which sits on the border of Utah and Colorado.  No reservations are available at the campground but, arriving on a Wednesday, it was wide open and I got a wonderful spot. After setting up camp, I went to the visitor center and took a few photos. 
The next morning I was on the trail fairly early. I hiked the Square Tower Trail, the Castle Trail and Tower Point. The hiking was very easy and, in total, only covered about 4 miles.  What a 4 miles, though!  Each of the Ancestral Puebloan structures  is fascinating and quite reminiscent of my trip to Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. 
Picture
Picture
A highlight of the hike was, after picking up trash along my way, I ran into an NPS Ranger. We had a wonderful conversation and just as we were discussing how visitors can be idiots, she spied a guy dangerously off trail across the canyon and let out an awesome bellow. She yelled, “GET BACK ON THE TRAIL!”. The fool, near a precipitous edge, jumped back and said, “Oh. Sorry”.  I gotta admit, it was pretty cool.

The eastern Utah sky put on a show that afternoon. 
After two blissful days at Hovenweep I loaded up and set my compass east toward Montrose, Colorado.

Four years ago I went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River National Park and transfixed by the beauty, I decided on leaving that I had to come back and as soon as I could. It did take four years but it was worth it.  This is an unheralded gem of the Park system.  Uncrowded and serene and gloriously beautiful.  After I arrived I couldn't help myself - I grabbed my tripod and headed directly for the rim. 
Picture
Picture
I spent the next morning at the Visitor Center and on a Ranger Archaeology walk.  In the bottom photo you can see the mighty Gunnison which still roars at times despite being dammed three times before the river gets to the National Park. 
Picture
That night, well, you know what I did that night.  You are correct, I grabbed that tripod again and went for a drive.  The weather was perfect and I rambled along the trails in shorts and a t-shirt...just breathing in the grandeur. 

One of the nicest things about this National Park is the access to magnificent viewpoints within 300-400 yards off the main road.  It's great - you drive a few minutes and then walk and sight-see for 30-45 minutes at each stop (or longer - I spent 2 hours one afternoon at Rock Point).  There are much longer hikes and rock climbing in the Park too - it's got something for everyone. 

​I was able to get to Sunset View literally just as the sun was setting.  What an evening...
Picture
Four years ago when I was at the Black Canyon I camped down by the Gunnison River in East Portal.  The road is, I believe, the steepest I've ever driven but it merited a return.  I loved it down there.  As I was walking to the river a strikingly pretty Smooth Greensnake crossed my path and, after all these years of being frustrated with people harassing wildlife (and being idiots in the Parks - see above), was tempted to pick it up. These human minds of ours... Of course, I thought better of it and watched it cruise across the road and into the tall grass where he/she melded into the reeds.  Just lovely - as was the sweet, cool river. 
That night, as is my way, I went to the Ranger Talk at the South Rim Campground.  As a testimony to my traveling days I talked to a Ranger I'd met two years ago at Lassen National Park. He said he remembered me (we discussed the government sponsored bison kill at Yellowstone) and he said, in his many years of moving around the Parks I was his first repeat customer. He gave another excellent presentation and it was kick to see him again.

After 4 days of canyon bliss it was time for me to drive over the Lizard Head Pass and get to my next destination, Mesa Verde National Park.  The photo below is from a turnout on the San Juan Skyway. 
Picture
After arriving at Mesa Verde I made a beeline for the showers and then, feeling fresh, I moseyed over to the Visitor Center and ran into some friends along the way.
Picture
The last time I was at Mesa Verde I was a young man. Since then the Visitor Center has changed and now a statue adorns the entrance which I thought was quite striking. It's an Ancestral Puebloan cliff dweller. 
Picture
After securing my tickets for the next days Cliff Palace Tour and a congenial visit with the Rangers in the Center I decided to just drive back to camp and relax but an early autumn storm began moving in and I took some photos. It was a magnificent afternoon.  
Picture
The next morning I went to iconic Cliff Palace and enjoyed myself despite one weird Ranger/Docent.  On the way out an elderly woman was struggling to make it out of the little canyon and the Ranger started complaining that she needed to hurry up because he, "had to pee".  The woman, hearing this, started to cry. One of her friends looked down at the Ranger and said, "WE ARE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SHE'S READY!" He piped down after that. I could go on and on about this guy but he wasn't representative of the typical well-meaning, knowledgeable, helpful, underpaid and under appreciated National Park Rangers (like my buddies at Black Canyon and Hovenweep). Eventually, the woman was able to climb out and we went on our merry way although I felt awful for her. 

​I do enjoy the photos below.  We know very little about the people who lived in this place -there's  a sense of mystery here - we have many more questions than answers about the Ancestral Puebloans...
Picture
I shared on social media the photo below which seemed to garner some interest.  The photo is of the old and original road into Mesa Verde. It has been washed out and is  closed to hiking, but one can still get a sense of the harrowing experience it must have been driving to see the old cliff dweller structures.  It was called the "Knife's Edge" - makes sense.  While the current road looks and feels a bit treacherous it's nothing compared to this...
Picture
The following is a panorama of Navajo Canyon in Mesa Verde.  It is quiet and grand and filled with wildlife. 
Picture
I spent the next day over on Wetherill Mesa which, sadly, has been marred by a few fires and little resembles what I remembered from my last visit. I got up the next morning and headed for the Navajo Nation and one of my favorite places on earth - Canyon de Chelly.  After I arrived I immediately decided to eat a traditional Navajo taco in Chinle.  I then went back to the campground - waited for the afternoon shadows, and then drove along the south rim to make photos of the canyon and, in particular, iconic Spider Rock seen below.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Occasionally, on the road and at home, I'm asked for advice on seeing the "real Southwest".  It's a tough question - but I typically recommend Four Corners and then I tell them about Canyon de Chelly. I'm always surprised about how few people actually know about the wonders there.  In my last blog post I discussed places in which I enjoy returning - I've been a regular at this canyon since the early 1990's and I know I'll never stop going - it's too stunning and too sacred and powerful. 

Sadly, that evening I prepared to leave and make the long drive home but I had one more stop to make - I wanted to camp at the free campground at Chiriaco Summit, just south of Joshua Tree National Park, where my friend - known professionally as PJ Finn - is the manager. PJ is a quintessential desert rat and a helluva photographer.  There is no question that he and has been one of my biggest inspirations since I started making photography an almost full time avocation.  Moreover, I admire PJ's ability to live simply and happily in a place he loves - despite the sometimes terribly harsh environment of the California desert which he calls home year around.  You can see his photographic artistry on Instagram and Twitter and on his blog. 

I rolled in, after a 550 mile drive, about 5:30 PM. We had dinner at the nearby diner and hung out and, of course, I made some photos from the campground. I particularly like the first photo  of Interstate 10 from the campground - it still looks like the California of my youth or somehow captures that feeling or something. 
Picture
We got up early the next morning and went for a drive. PJ was an excellent tour guide and I finally figured out how to pronounce Chiriaco properly (it's a family name).  Here is the man himself, his dog Abbey, and the cholla protector of Chiriaco Summit. 
Lots of photos on this post - but hey I took over 1400 images in those 2 weeks! Many  interesting ones left on the cutting room floor. I did my best to show what I thought were the most representative of the magnificent country I visited. Here's the last - a lonely desert road south of Joshua Tree.  Thanks for joining me.  I hope you sensed a tiny bit of the joy and wonder that I did on this meaningful journey. 
Picture
12 Comments

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    The Point?

    This will mostly be a journal of my travels. I may include other items that interest me. Feel free to join in.

    Categories

    All
    Abilene
    Adobe
    Aguirre Spring CG
    Ajo
    Ajo Mountain Drive
    Akaka Falls
    Alabama
    Alamogordo
    Aldo Leopold
    Alejandro Escovedo
    Alturas
    Amarillo
    Amboy Crater
    Amtrak
    Ancestral Puebloans
    Anne Frank
    Ansel Adams
    Anza Borrego State Park
    Arches NP
    Arizona
    Arkansas River
    Atascadero
    Aunt Lisa
    Autumn
    Awe
    AZ
    Backyard
    Badwater Basin
    Baltimore
    Bandelier National Monument
    Barry Goldwater Range
    Baseball
    Baseball Hall Of Fame
    Bassam Guard Station
    Bates Ranch
    Beartooth Highway
    Beck
    Bent's Old Fort
    Bernie Sanders
    Big Bend NP
    Big Sur
    Bill Dickson
    Birthday Party
    Bisbee
    Black Canyon Of The Gunnison NP
    BLM
    Blues Foundation
    Blues Hall Of Fame
    Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan Center
    Bog Springs CG
    Bonita Well
    Borax
    Boulder Basin
    Broadway
    Bruce Springsteen
    Buffalo
    Burro Creek CG
    CA
    Cabeza Prieta
    Cacti
    Calexico
    California
    California League
    California Zephyr
    Canyon De Chelly
    Canyonlands NP
    Capitol Reef NP
    Carl Sagan
    Carrizo Plain
    Cascades-mountains
    Casita
    Caspers-wilderness-park
    Cathead
    Cayucos
    Cedar-breaks
    Central-coast
    Central-coast
    Cerro-alto-campground
    Cesar-chavez
    Charles-bowden
    Chicago
    Chicago River
    Chicago Union Station
    Chihuahua-desert
    Chihuly Garden
    China Alley
    Chiriaco Summit
    Chiricahua National Monument
    Chisos Basin CG
    Chisos Mountains
    Chris LaTray
    Christiane Wolf
    Citifield
    City Of New Orleans
    Clark Dry Lake
    Clarksdale
    Clayton Kershaw
    Cleveland
    CO
    Coast Starlight
    Cochise Stronghold
    Colonel Allensworth State Park
    Colorado
    Colorado Desert
    Colorado Plateau
    Columbia Gorge
    Cooperstown
    Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
    Coronavirus
    Corpus Christi
    COVID-19
    Crescent
    Cubs
    Dad
    Dave Alvin
    Death Valley
    Dell
    Delta Blues Museum
    Denver
    Desert Training Center
    Devil's Golf Course
    Devil's Tower
    Dodgers
    Dome Rock
    Dorothea Lange
    Dragoon Mountains
    Drive-By Truckers
    Durango
    Eastern Sierra
    Education
    Edward Abbey
    Eisenhower Library
    Election 2016
    Elfin Forest
    Elton John
    Elvis Costello
    Empire Builder
    Environmentalism
    Eric Flaherty
    Eric Temple
    Everett Ruess
    Fargo
    Fauna
    Favorite Photos
    Finley
    Fishing
    Flathead-lake
    Flora
    Fog
    Four-corners
    Four-corners
    Fremont-peak
    Fullerton
    Furnace-creek
    Gasworks-park
    Gates Bar.B.Q.
    Gaviota
    Gaviota State Beach
    George-patton
    Georgia
    Giant-sequoia-national-monument
    Glacier-np
    Glaucoma
    Goblin-valley-state-park
    Goffs-schoolhouse
    Grammy Museum
    Grand-canyon
    Grandchildren
    Grandkids
    Grand-teton-national-park
    Grants
    Great-basin-national-park
    Guadalupe-mountains-np
    Guitar
    Gunnison-river
    Gunnison-river
    Gurf Morlix
    Half-dome
    Half Moon Bay
    Happy-isles
    Harris-beach
    Hawaii
    Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
    High-sierra
    Highway-1
    Highway-101
    Highway-190
    Highway-395
    Highway-41
    Highway-99
    Highways
    Hilo
    Holbrook
    Hole-in-the-wall-campground
    Holidays
    Home
    Homolovi
    Hovenweep-national-monument
    Hubbard Family
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Immigration
    Inland-empire-66ers
    Insight LA
    Interstate 15
    Interstate 5
    Island Of Hawai'i
    Jack
    Jack Kerouac
    Jack Loeffler
    Jackson Hole
    Jacob Lake
    Jalama Beach
    Jedediah Smith Redwoods
    Joaquin
    Johnny Cash
    John Prine
    John Steinbeck
    Jon Dee Graham
    Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Jordan
    Joseph Wood Krutch
    Joshua Tree NP
    Journal
    Jr.
    Kansas City
    Kansas City Royals
    Kara
    Kartchner Caverns
    Kauffman Stadium
    Kennedy
    Kern National Wildlife Refuge
    Kevin
    Kingman
    Kirk Creek
    Klamath Falls
    Kodachrome State Park
    KS
    Laguna Beach
    La Junta
    Lake Arrowhead
    Lake Elsinore Storm
    Lake Pleasant
    Lake Shore Limited
    Lancaster JetHawks
    La Posada
    La Purisima Mission
    Las Cruces
    Lassen Volcanic National Park
    Las Vegas
    LA Union Station
    La Veta Pass
    Lee Anne
    Lilly
    Limekiln State Park
    Lisa Law
    Little Blair Valley
    Little House Customs
    Little Painted Desert
    Lizard
    Lizard Head Pass
    Liz Kylin
    Lori Carey
    Lorraine Motel
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    Los Osos
    Luis Urrea
    Lupe
    Madera
    Madera Canyon
    Malheur Wildlife Refuge
    Manzanar
    Margo Dodd Park
    Martin Luther King
    Marty
    Mary Austin
    Massachusetts
    Maynard Dixon
    McGee Creek
    Meditation
    Memphis
    Merced River
    Meredith
    Mesa Verde
    Mesquite Springs
    Mexico
    Michael A. Singer
    Michael Gish
    Mindfulness
    Mississippi
    Mississippi Blues Trail
    Mississippi Delta
    Mississippi River
    Missouri River
    Mitchell Caverns
    MO
    Moab
    Modesto Nuts
    Mogollon Rim
    Mojave Desert
    Mojave National Preserve
    Mojave Trails National Monument
    Mom
    Monarch Butterflies
    Montana
    Monterey Bay
    Montrose
    Monument Valley
    Mormons
    Morro Bay
    Moynihan Train Hall
    MS
    Muddy Waters
    Museum Of Flight
    Music
    National Civil Rights Museum
    National Monuments
    National Parks
    National Park Service
    National WWII Museum
    Nature
    Navajo Nation
    Navajo NM
    Negro Leagues Museum
    Neil Young
    Nevada
    New Hampshire
    New Jersey
    New Mexico
    New Orleans
    New York City
    NM
    North Beach Campground
    North Rim
    NPS
    NY Mets
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Ocotillo
    October
    OK
    Old Faithful
    Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
    Olympic National Park
    Omar Bradley
    Oregon
    Oregon Coast
    Organ Mountains
    Organ Pipe NM
    Ortega Highway
    Pacific Ocean
    Padre Island
    Pagosa Springs
    Painted Desert
    Painted Rock Petroglyph
    Palo Alto Battlefield
    Palo Duro Canyon
    Pch
    Peg-leg-smith
    Petrified Forest National Park
    Petroglyphs
    Photography
    Pictograph Trail
    Pier
    Pinnacles NP
    Pismo Beach
    Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
    PJ Finn
    Placentia
    Plaskett Creek
    Point Mugu
    Politics
    Portland
    Poughkeepsie
    Pozo Nuevo
    Prescott
    Pueblo
    Puerto Blanco Road
    Quaking Aspen Campground
    Quitobaquito Springs
    Railroad-tracks
    Rancho-cucamonga-quakes
    Rancho-guadalupe-dunes-preserve
    Rattlesnake
    Ray Wylie Hubbard
    Red-rock-canyon
    Redwoods-np
    Refugio-state-beach
    Reno
    Retirement
    Rim-of-the-world
    Rio-grande
    Rio-grande-del-norte
    Rocky Ford Cemetery
    Rocky Mountains
    Roger Stolle
    Route-66
    Route 66 Museum
    R. Scott Jones
    Running-springs
    Ry-cooder
    SABR
    Sacramento
    Saguaro National Park
    Salida
    Sam-harris
    San Antonio
    San Antonio Riverwalk
    San-bernardino-mountains
    San-clemente
    Sand-county-almanac
    San-jacinto
    San-jose-giants
    San-juan-mountains
    San-onofre
    Santa-barbara
    Santa-fe
    Santa Ynez Mountains
    Santiam-creek
    Scott-hays
    Seattle
    September
    Sequoia-np
    ShackUp Inn
    Shower
    Sierra Nevada
    Silver-jack-reservoir
    Skyscrapers
    Solo-traveling
    Sonoran Desert
    Southern-california
    Southern-sierra
    Southwest Chief
    Spider-rock
    Spirituality
    Spring-training
    Stax Recording Studio
    St. Cloud
    Steinbeck Country
    Steve
    Stockton-ports
    Sunset
    Sunsets
    Superstition Mountains
    Susquehanna River
    Sycamore-canyon
    Taos
    Tarantula
    Terry-tempest-williams
    Texas
    Tex-Mex
    The-band
    The-beatles
    The Central Valley
    The Clash
    The Gourds
    Thornhill Broome Beach
    Ticks
    Tim
    Times Square
    Tit Rock
    Todd Miller
    Tom Seaver
    Tom Thrash
    Top Albums
    Topics
    Top Photos
    Tracy Schultze
    Trail Of 100 Giants
    Trains
    Travel Trailer
    Trudy Goodman
    Tule Creek
    Tulsa
    Tunica
    Twitter
    TX
    Ubehebe Crater
    UFW
    United States Border Patrol
    Upper Pines Campground
    Utah
    Utica
    Valley Of Fire
    Vernal
    Victoria Mine
    Victorville
    Vin Scully
    Virginia
    Virginia City
    Visalia Rawhide
    Wakeeny
    Walnut Canyon National Monument
    Washington
    White Sands
    Wildflowers
    Wildlife
    Willamette River
    William Eastlake
    William Hubbard
    Winslow
    Woody Guthrie
    Woody Guthrie Center
    Wrigley Field
    Wyoming
    Year End Review
    Yellowstone National Park
    Yosemite National Park
    Zabriskie Point
    Zion
    Zion National Park

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

All content (C) Jeff Hubbard. No re-use without express written permission
  • Welcome to the West
  • Blog and Trip Reviews
  • Travel Archives
  • Contact Me
  • Music & Literature
  • Defense of the West