Visit the Four Corners Region USA Part 3/3

Travel to the Four Corners region USA in this Baby-Boomer traveling video by Seasoned Traveler Part 3/3.

George: In and around Canyon De Chelly, there are plenty of hiking opportunities even in winter. Nigel Burnet left real winter behind in Canada and is travelling across the four corners. Nigel: I like eating and the only way to deal with that is to walk it off a lot. My friend is an ex-professional chef so we eat rather well and I have to not blimp out so it’s the only way to see things slowly. I bike a lot, I drive a lot and you see different things at different speeds but walking is where you’re going to see the little details. George: Archeologists think that architecture here at Canyon De Chelly suggests connections with what many consider the grandest of the ancient site, Chaco Canyon. It was the cultural center of the Anasazi civilization. The New Mexico National Historical Park conserves 13 great houses and literally thousands of smaller sites. Chaco may have been inhabited 8500 years ago. The first to put down roots arrived in the 700s a.d. This group was extremely industrious. Tribal members built a great pueblo called Bonita, four storeys tall containing some 600 rooms. The Chaco people devised irrigation systems to water crops and they developed an extensive road system that connected other communities. Chaco became a spiritual and ceremonial site, a type of mecca for mezoamerica. Groups from other settlements often came here to visit or to stay. But eventually even residents here pulled up stakes and moved on. Today, Chaco is still remote. The road to the park is largely unpaved. Once you arrive, the park is so extensive, it may take a few days to see it properly and hikers may want to stay even longer. One of the most imposing natural wonders in the four corners is here, Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah. It’s a Navajo national park and it’s an awe inspiring corner of desert. Red rock formations jut into the sky. They pop up in odd shapes. Some people climb the monoliths, others just stand and stare. Film companies spend a lot of time here making movies and commercials and nearly everyone takes photographs. Because the four corners region is so vast, as you can tell, there’s no way I could cover all of the historical and hiking places at one time but I have managed to put together a scrapbook of some of the other places in this majestic region of the world. In New Mexico’s part of the four corners, Bandalier National Monument is named for anthropologist Adolph Bandalier who in 1880 called the area “the grandest thing I ever saw”. It contains remnants of a pueblo community from some eight centuries ago. If you go, look for the long house ruin in Frijoles Canyon. In Utah, Canyonlands National Park contains towering desert sculpture in a land of contrasts. The island in the sky offers dramatic views and the needles district is a dreamscape of arches, butts, spires and canyons. If you drift away from the four corners and head west, you’ll happen upon some of the other natural wonders of this region, Bryce Canyon National Park may be home to some of the most colorful rocks on the face of the earth. Erosion over time has created pillars which are called hoodoos. Not far away, Zion National Park has its own impressive rock formations next to unusual hanging gardens. The most celebrated rock formations here are the watchman and the west temple. Then if you drive south into Arizona, you reach the big ditch, the might Grand Canyon. Four million people come for the experience every year. It’s best seen in early morning light or at sunset. I like coming here in autumn and winter when the crowds are fewer and the colors seem more brilliant. It’s also better to explore the north rim as most travelers make it only as far as the south. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon more than half a dozen times and it always amazes me. After all, the canyon stretches 277 miles or 443 km, every bit worth a look. Aside from its natural grandeur, the four corners is also home to the first Americans. There are several tribes in the region but the Navajo are the most numerous. William Yasi lives in two worlds. He’s a lead ranger at Canyon De Chelly National Monument and he’s a Navajo trying to maintain the customs of his ancestors. William: It’s kind of like an oral tradition that we repacked up so I involve my children so that hopefully they will also pick it up and carry it on. George: The four corners is the perfect spot for hiking or driving. But this is desert country and you’ll need to take precautions when you come. Hikers need to remember it can be mild here during winter days but punishingly cold at night. One night during my stay, the wind chill got down to about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s well below zero centigrade. In dry places, the land does not absorb moisture. So when the sun goes down, the ground cools quickly. Dress warmly in winter because snow can come without warming. It can be blinding short sharp storms with whiteout conditions possible. By the same token, summer hiking can be a challenge from the opposite extreme. The heat often in the triple digits Fahrenheit can make any movement extremely difficult. Pack plenty of water during hot weather hikes. And remember too, these are remote docile areas, know where you are and how to get back to where you started. Take a compass and plenty of water. As for driving, the four corners unfold almost a monument a minute, beautiful to see, a memorable trip. But just as you need to prepare for the elements in the desert, so too does your vehicle. In these long stretches of no man’s land, remember, you have to have enough fuel and plenty of water especially in summer. Make sure your vehicle’s radiator is protected against extremes of heat and cold and keep in mind gasoline stations are few and far between, fill up often to prevent trouble and if you drive an RV, many campsites are closed during winter months or packed to the gills during the summer so call ahead and make a reservation. Roads through the four corners can be a nightmare, narrow, winding and rough. Now, in your rush to see the impressive monuments, don’t overlook this one, Gooseneck’s State Park in southeastern Utah. For 300 million years the San Juan River has meandered slowly but surely, goosenecking its way through mountains of rock. Most folks don’t know this mini Grand Canyon even exists. These British tourists on a two week trip to photograph the highlights of the four corners had no idea they’d be brought here. Male: Absolutely incredible. One of the things that does strike me, I think it probably strikes most English people coming over here is the absolute scale of it. It’s quite enormous. You can drive for miles and miles and miles and get vast expanses of scenery. It’s quite an eye opener. George: I was here for a few hours and these were the only other humans I encountered in the park which just proves the point about exploring the four corners in the colder months. Male: It’s a place where you can photograph without a lot of tourists there. George: Once the British evacuated, I had this secret place all to myself. The four corners and we’ve only just scratched the surface. This is a land of momentous monuments, of endless hiking opportunities and of incomparable beauty. Now, before I go, some words of wisdom on aging. Growing old is like climbing a mountain. It’s a long hard slog to the top and then it’s all downhill from there. I’m George Bauer. Travel well and travel safely.