4 Corners, Aztec, NM, Durango, Silverton, CO

 June 2 – We left Gallup and enjoyed a drive over to Shiprock, just a hole in the wall place to park long enough for us to unhook and drive over to see the 4 Corners Monument.  How interesting, and kind of weird to realize you could stand in one spot and actually be in four states!  There has been some debate over the years as to the accuracy of these lines and some legal challenges made, but Congress each time apparently upheld this, so it is what it is.

 Notice the booths in the back - they go all the way around the 4 sides.... Indians selling their jewelry, and occasional other things....

This is an elderly lady studiously engraving on a pot.  Fascinating to watch her do this in perfect detail and entirely free hand!  I asked one of the vendors if EVERY Indian knows how to make beautiful jewelry and pottery and weaving, and on and on, and they said YES, they did not know of ONE Indian that could not do ALL that!  Whaaaaat?

As soon as we got back – it was about a 40 min. ride – we hooked the car back up to the RV and went on our merry way – to Aztec, NM.  We’re in a quiet park,  Ruins RV Park, just a quarter mile or less from the famous Aztec Ruins.  Earl chose this specifically for its location.  It's not bad, rather forgettable, if you know what I mean.  We’re going east for awhile, and wanted to just pop up to Durango, CO while we were this close.

Wed – June 3^rd – For some reason, I had a bout of insomnia last night and didn’t go to sleep till after 2:00, but still woke up about the same time, around 7:30 and we got up and leisurely got ready.  We drove the quarter mile to the Aztec Ruins.  Very interesting.  From the late 1000’s to the late 1200’s, ancestral Pueblo people at Aztec planned and built a settlement that included large public buildings, smaller structures, earthworks and ceremonial buildings. The people left in the late 1200’s leaving well-preserved structures and artifacts that tell their stories.  It really is astounding to view the 900 year old roof timbers that are intact today!

 After leaving Aztec, we rode the 45 miles to Durango.  I took SO many photos today you just would not believe it.  You know how excited I got about seeing snow on the mountain as we approached Flagstaff?  Well, y’all……THIS is what we saw today!!!  Is it gorgeous, or what!

Durango is a beautiful city, full of culture and adventure.  Lots of biking and hiking opportunities, and just beautiful weather, in the summer, that is.   Here are some photos…

Friends on FB kept telling me we should take the train ride, but there’s only one a day and it leaves at 8:00 I think, so we missed it this morning, and we’re planning to leave tomorrow.  We took the drive ourselves on up to Silverton – and THAT is where we got to play in the snow and marvel at the views.  We had lunch in Silverton, and we asked about the train ride and the views, and he told us we’d have seen much better views on our drive.  Not sure, but I couldn’t have taken much more beauty!  I was just giddy with it all.  I have SO fallen in love with AMERICA!  What an amazing, incredibly diverse country we have with all the different terrain and climates and beauty.  It’s a feast for the eyes to take a trip like this!

 Silverton is known as “the place where the pavement ends.” And it DOES!  There is only ONE paved road going through this quaint, picturesque town. No stoplights at all. And all the side streets are just dirt (clay) – you literally could imagine living there during the Gold Rush days where everyone was close to town!  Silverton was founded in 1860, when Charles Baker and several prospectors entered the San Juan Mountains in search of wealth.  They soon found large deposits of gold and silver along the Animas River.  They stayed through the summer but returned to what is now Northern New Mexico for the winter. In 1874, Silverton’s town site was laid out and it soon became the center of numerous mining camps as well as catching the eye of the railroad company in Denver.  If you’re interested in a little history, here goes…if not, just pass on by......As early as 1874, men were bringing their wives and families to live in Silverton.  This influx of families provided an incentive for citizens to keep at least part of Silverton respectable.  In May 1883, a grand jury brought 117 indictments against “lewd women”.  Lascivious behavior was not necessarily condemned as the fines levied helped grow the town.  Mining there closed down in the 1990s but it is still rumored that there is a lot of gold and silver still there, and it is believed that mining will be back one day.

 In these two photos we were approaching Silverton, and you can see the entire town if you can enlarge the photos at all.... TINY little town, but SO picturesque. It is a Statutory town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County. Population 638!

I found it interesting that the ground here is covered in yellow wildflowers but snow on the mountain above!

See how all the side streets are unpaved!  Don't you feel like if the cars weren't there, you could well believe you're in the 1800's?

For all my Harley Davidson friends....  

On our way back down the mountain, we wanted to find a lovely quiet spot to just sit and read for an hour. (We always have our books with us in the car, just in case).  But when we turned down a road after seeing a sign for a lake - this is what we encountered.  So...... time to turn around, as we have no snow tires and no 4 wheel drive.

But we didn't give up and in a little while we saw another sign to a lake, and we followed it - it was exquisite as you can see.  We enjoyed our books for about an hour or so and then headed home.

What a perfectly lovely day! I'm anxious to come back and see more of Colorado, but for now we're zig zagging our way back east a bit in order to see more and meet up with some friends in Nebraska. Stay tuned for more adventures.