Kachina Bridge.

Owachomo Bridge.

It becomes very windy within the national park, with some of the gusts on the exposed walks being very strong. We leave the park at 5pm and drive to the Old Tymer Restaurant in Blanding for large prime rib steaks and a Bloomin' Onion as part of a meal described as a Californian Medley. We end the day as it began, by sitting by the hotel's swimming pool in the hot sunshine.

 

Last night was the first on this trip where we have stayed for only one night. But the next section of our itinerary will involve ten consecutive 'one-night' stops, albeit that two (non-consecutive) nights will be spent at the Hampton Inn in Kayenta - the first being tonight.

 

After spending the first eleven days of our trip in just two states (Nevada and Utah), today's drive will take us through four states.

 

But our first stop is made after a drive of 45-miles to the Hovenweep National Monument which is located on the Utah/Colorado border. This national park preserves the ruins of several sophisticated buildings built by Pueblo Indians on each side of a narrow canyon. A two-mile rim trail connects the various ruins and it takes us just over an hour to walk it.

 

(right): Stronghold House

Twin Towers

Hovenweep Castle

Tower Point

Hovenweep Castle

The round, square, and D-shaped towers that were constructed by the Pueblo Indians on the very edges of the canyon are in amazingly good condition considering that they have not been inhabited for some 700 years, and must have housed a substantially sized community.

 

Departing Hovenweep at 11:45am, we are ahead of our schedule and decide to make a diversion from our planned route and visit Four Corners - the only location in the USA where four states meet:

Utah; Arizona; Colorado; and New Mexico.

On our 1995 visit to Four Corners we were less than impressed with this touristy site, but this time we find it is more acceptable, though there is still a motley collection of Indian shacks selling souvenirs.

The road from Hoveweep to Four Corners, and then onwards, inevitably requires much crossing of state borders. SR-262 takes us through Aneth (in Utah) to the Colorado border where the road becomes SR-41. At the junction with US-161, we head west to cross into New Mexico to reach Four Corners. US-161 then takes us into Arizona before we head north on US-191 to cross back into Utah.