May 12, 2012 - Don't bluff in Bluff, Utah

We left the Wetherill Inn in Kayenta this morning after enjoying breakfast with a bus tour load of Swiss tourists.  We drove along the edge of Monument Valley up to the Natural Bridge National Monument. 

We also drove through the town of Mexican Hat, Utah and took snapshots of the balanced rock that gives the town its name.  The road over Cedar Mesa was a treacherous drive up 2000 feet with switchbacks and steep inclines.  We stopped at an overlook to stretch and appreciate the view when we were swarmed by about 20 tourists from Italy in two large rental vans. 
When we got the Natural Bridge, we drove around a 9 mile loop to see natural arches in the sandstone and ruins of Anasazi Culture from around 1 AD to about 1300 AD.  The visitor center and information at the overlooks and trails were very helpful.

From there, we drove through Bluff, Utah toward the Four Corners Monument.  We stopped at a dairy bar in Bluff to get some lunch but the only person we found in there was an old Navajo woman selling jewelry.  She did not appear to speak English so we moved on and ate Corn Nuts and some dried fruit as we drove toward Four Corners.  Bluff is really in a great location with many attractions within a short drive.  During tourist season, Bluff has many visitors passing through and stopping in the town.  Although Bluff was settled in the late 1800s by Mormon settlers, for most of the town’s history, it was a sleepy little town near Four Corners. Bluff made the national headlines in 1998 when most of the town was evacuated. Turns out the a group of survivalists killed a police officer in nearby Cortez, Colorado and escaped into the desert in the Four Corners area. They were never caught despite months of searching by local, state and federal agencies.

At Four Corners, we did the required pose at the junction of the four states and took some snapshots.  Afterward, we walked past the Navajo artists selling jewelry and crafts nearby.  We bought a few gifts and left for Shiprock, New Mexico.

The town of Shiprock was the largest town we have visited on the Navajo reservation.  There were a number of schools including a branch of Dine Community College.  We drove out to Ship Rock, called Tsé Bit’a’í by the Navajos.  The name means “rock with wings” and symbolizes the great bird bringing the Diné from the south to Dinétah.  Ship Rock is the core of an ancient volcano about 27 million years ago.  The rock rises 1,583 feet above the surrounding plain and is 7,177 feet above sea level.

We drove from Shiprock to the Super 8 in Blanding, Utah where we will be until Monday morning.  Part of the drive from Shiprock to Blanding was on the road formerly known as Navajo 666 although the name was changed to Rt. 491 in 2003 since many called the road “The Devil’s Highway” and the route signs were constantly being stolen as souvenirs.

Our motel stay got us a discount at the barbeque restaurant nearby.  We split a combination platter which was very good.

We hope to have a lazy day tomorrow, visiting an area of Canyonlands National Park called The Needles that we have never seen.  We hear that there are some beautiful landscape views as well as some interesting petroglyphs.

Driving through the area brings back so many great memories of driving through the high desert with the kids when they were young 20 – 25 years ago.  The desert climate, hikes to places of interest and even the smells of the desert reminded us of trips to Nine Mile Canyon, Joe’s Valley and Dinosaur National Monument.

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