Jim and Cris headed out of Durango on the way to Kayenta for the night.
"As we passed through Cortez Colorado, we saw a sign 'Tune to 530 am for tourist information', we did and all we got was static. We were sure that there must be something for tourists to do; fortunately we had other tourist spots already planned for the day. We did note that there was a dog bed and breakfast in Cortez; perhaps this was a canine tourist destination. Along the way we stopped at Four Corners, where Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet. The land is part of the Navajo Indian reservation. We passed through a fee collection point, and proudly provided the staff person with a putty sample. She did not know what Thinking Putty was, but she took the putty anyway. The dusty lot was bordered on one side by Indian jewelry vendors, but was highlighted by a small stage set with state flags and a commemorative plaque. After making an initial pass of the dozen or so vendors we returned, purchased some items, and to a few fortunate Indians, passed out some putty! One had grandchildren she planned to share the putty with.
Shopping completed, we knew that Aaron needed to stretch his legs. So we helped him out of the van and took him over to a plaque where he peered over the top. Aaron also escorted us to the center of the monument where our trio had our photo taken by some fellow tourists. After a few photos, Aaron insisted that we provide a sample of the putty to the man taking the photos, who was from near Snake River, WA. Driving out of Four Corners we saw a honeymoon couple taking pictures at the entrance. We felt obligated to provide a wedding present of, you got it, “thinking putty.” They thanked us and walked away giggling; we weren’t sure it was the putty or pure matrimonial joy.
Leaving the Four Corners area, we looped around and headed to Mexican Hat, both a rock formation and a small town. We took photos of Aaron with the rock over his shoulder and then stopped at a café for a couple of burgers and serendipitously met up with our friendly photographer from Four Corners. The café was modest, but on the walls were paper and coin currencies with notes from people from all over the world. On the way out, Cris saw a Chihuahua and thought a picture of a Mexican dog at Mexican Hat would be a great thing to have. The dog attempted to elude Cris but she persevered and backtracked on the dog, cornering him. The dog responded with a growl and a bark which Cris caught on the digital camera.
Onto Kayenta we went! We drove through winding roads, down a long hill and into Monument Valley. The view was spectacular so, again, we pulled to one side with Aaron and took a shot of Aaron and Jim with the geologic formations in the background. At the lookout parking spot there was a van full of people from Montreal. They watched us take photos and asked what was going on. We told them of our journey with Aaron and provided them with a putty sample.
It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at Monument Valley so we spent some time taking pictures and making the obligatory visit to the gift shop. Unbeknownst to us, the movie “Stagecoach” was filmed in Monument Valley and there were many items with the film’s star, John Wayne, on them in the gift shop. To get to Kayenta at a decent hour, we headed out again, setting our Garmin destination for the Hampton Inn, had dinner, and called it an early night."
