Day 45 - On to Mesa Verde

Off to Mesa Verde in Colorado! 

This is the true test of the truck repairs.  If it doesn't overheat pulling the trailer over the mountains to Mesa Verde, it's fixed!  Off we go!

We get to Flagstaff and no problems with the hills or the truck!  YEA!

Years ago, we'd been to the Grand Canyon along this route and spotted Sunset Crater National Monument and Wupatki National Monument on a 32 mile loop road.  We take the loop road since we are in no hurry!

I missed taking a picture of that sign.  Bummer!

The Sunset Crater loop takes you through lava fields and cinder cones from the extinct volcanoes there.  You can't climb on the cones now, but you can take hikes that take you close.  Didn't hike here.

As you pass between the two monument areas, you arrive at a vista point that shows the Painted Desert.

It's amazing how far you can see from here.  There were also some beautiful pink and white flowers all growing on the same tree.

On to the Ruins side of the loop!

These are some of the Box Canyon Ruins. 

I actually walked the mile or so on this loop in the heat!  Did fine!  Even met some friends that Chrissy missed!

 Met this friend first.  Stayed there for his closeup!

Must have liked me because he brought his girlfriend to be in the picture!  They were beautifully colored and all over the place.  Didn't scare me, either!

Time for lunch so we stopped in Tuba City on the rez for lunch.  Taco Bell!  It had a large parking lot for the RV so in we went.  A beautiful young woman named Tiffany took our order.  She asked for David's ID since he used a credit card.  She got really excited when she realized that we were from Alabama.  She has an aunt who lives there, but couldn't remember where.  We invited her to go with us.  She laughed and said she'd have to ask her mom where her aunt lived. 

We got our food and the order was perfect.  Food wasn't skimpy as it can be at Taco Bell sometimes.  Got to noticing that people were watching us.  Got to looking around and noticed why.  If we had been playing Cowboys and Indians, we two "cowboys" would have been severely outnumbered!  LOL   These people were so interesting.  One gentleman had a long white braid down his back.  Most people nodded to him.  Another man had his son or grandson with him.  He looked like one of the old photos you'd see of Navajos.  The children playing inside were adorable.  As we left, Tiffany bid us farewell and said she hadn't gotten her mother yet!

Since fuel options are limited on the reservation, we decide to get gas.  Saw this sign on the corner where we turned.  Made me laugh!

Just wish he'd put his number on there!

More hills and no problems.  At least not from our truck and RV.  The photo below is a tour bus that passed our entire length and was passing another RV.  What you can't see is the car coming head on from the other direction.  He just cleared the RV and the other car.   As I mentioned on a Facebook post, "May the police force be with you!"

We saw many of these situations. 

When we last came through here, we stopped at Burger King to see Navajo Code Talker Display inside Burger King in Kayeta.  It's remarkable  what these men did for our country.  It's just a little odd all this museum in a Burger King.  Outside they have a shadow house, a male hogan, and a female hogan.  There is also a kiva.  Most of the hogans you see are female and all the doors face east.  They are everywhere on the reservation and in some of the cities.  A couple took our photo at one of the display hogans.

Back on the road.  We're on the edge of Monument Valley where John Wayne filmed many of his westerns.

We saw this formation.  Until we got right on it, it looked black.  We decided that's where the "bad day at Black Rock" came from.

I've mentioned in earlier posts that it's very dry here.  We came upon a brush fire that had just started.  It ran along the grass for 100's of feet and then a new one appeared.   I called 911 and they were in Utah and I was in Arizona and didn't know where I was.  The first operator got irritated at me because I didn't know whether I was closer to Kayeta or Shiprock, NM.  All I knew was I was in Red Mesa at MM 449 on Highway 160.  I lost my signal so I called back.  I managed to get all that info out as she tried transferring me to Shiprock.  She had determined I might be closed to it.  The phone rang and rang and rang and I can only hope they were talking to someone else about the fire.  I lost my coverage again and didn't try back.

There were a couple of motorcycle riders who had stopped and were trying to put out the fire.

Next on the route, Four Corners National Monument.  As the four states come together on the Navajo Nation, you have to pay a charge to enter their monument area.  It's a US monument on their land.  We'd seen it many times, so we didn't stop.  Good thing!  IT WAS CLOSED!  There were a lot of people gathered outside the gates and they did not look happy!  This place is in the middle of nowhere and it's a destination for most.  Here's my picture of Four Corners:

Look closely....you'll see the RV crossing the 4 states at once!  And I didn't have to pay to go there!

Colorado and not far from the campground!   David is going to grill steaks and call it an early evening.  No more truck problems!  YEA!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)