[I'm still formatting all the photos and hope to add the rest by later this week]
Ok,
you bought that new Land Rover, be it an LR3, Range Rover or Range Rover Sport,
now what to do with it? Are you like many new owners of Land Rover vehicles who
have little off-road experience? Well I am not but I can appreciate the benefits
of touring in a Land Rover and comfort in which they cant they can take you
mainly on the hard top.
With
Max & Judy Amos visiting from Australia
I had the excuse to
go “Black Top” touring to the 4 Corners area. This is the only place in the USA
where 4 states join
at one place, namely
Our
first point of call! This park is located 34 miles west of Durango
Colorado
just off Highway
160. It was established in 1906 to preserve and showcase the thousands of
historical sites left by the Anasazi people. There are 5 Anasazi Cliff Dwellings
that can be toured and they provide a very basic understanding of who these
inventive and industrious people were and how they lived. On the day we visited
we were able to tour
Cliff
Palace
and Spruce Tree
House.
Cliff
Palace
is a ranger guided
tour and the most impressive Cliff Dwelling at Mesa Verde open to the public.
The tour was an hour long with us starting by descending a fairly easy path of
steel and stone stairs. We were blown away with the view as soon as we turned
the corner and saw this site. Being the largest site [with Long House] it was
amazing to see up close what these people had done. The intricacy of their
stonework to make multi room and multi storey dwellings along with Kivas
[ceremonial round rooms] would do any modern stone mason proud. Ok the buildings
are falling down and are no longer habitable but for being maybe 1000 years old
they are not doing too bad. This dwelling consists of 217 rooms and 23 Kivas and
estimates are that it housed between 200 and 250 people. The climb out of this
site is somewhat harder than the descent requiring ascent of several wooden
ladders.
Spruce
Tree House is a self guided tour of a largely stabilized and reinforced site and
is the 3rd largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde having 114 rooms and
14 Kevas, estimated to be 95% original. The National Parks have tried to rebuild
this site closer to what they looked like when habitable, including a sub-terrainian
Keva. It is neither as large nor as impressive as Cliff
Palace
but is definitely
interesting. The walk down and back is simple with a sealed concrete path al the
way.
Mesa
Top Loop drive allows access to a number of
If
you have never visited this park, pack up the Land Rover and get yourself there
immediately, it really is a must see before you die location.
Other
places to visit in the area include Hovenweep
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Unless
you really want a photograph of the actual 4 Corners point, give this a miss.
This site does not recognize the National Park Pass and they charge $3 per
person to enter. It is basically maker area on the ground with a few flags of
the various states involved then surrounded by small Native American shops.
Access should be free because there is no real benefit to viewing the site.
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Located
near Chinle
Arizona
off highway 191,
Canyon de Chelly is a bit off the beaten path. This is true Indian country: to
the north east in
Colorado
is Ute country; to
the west is the Hopi Indian Reservation and to the north and east lies the
Navajo Nation.
The
park has two self drive tours. The 37 mile long South Rim drive takes you south
east along the edge of Canyon de Chelly where there are a number of overlooks
into the canyon. From many of the overlooks we were able to see basic farming
operations taking place on the canyon floor with cattle and goats appearing to
be the preferred livestock. Small areas have also been tilled for small
plantings to take place. From junction Overlook you can see where Canyon de
Chelly and Canyon del Muerto split and go there separate ways. At the end of
this drive you will find Spider Rock overlook, being the main view that most
people associate with this area. Spider Rock is an 800 foot high sandstone
pillar that was apparently climbed by some Native Americans when they were
trying to hide and get away from Kit Carson. Don’t quote me on this storey as
I have not been able to get verification that it is true, but it sounds great
doesn’t it!
North
Rim drive is a mere 34 miles long and follows Canyon del Muerto. It leads to
several ruin overlooks including Ledge Ruin, Antelope House Ruin, Standing Cow
Ruin [which we could not see from the viewing area] and a natural Navajo
Fortress. Unfortunately the turn off to Ledge Ruin was closed when we visited
due to recent damage. Antelope House Ruin was named for the paintings of
Antelope by Dibe Yazhi, a famous Navajo artist who lived in the area in the
1800. Further to the north east along the canyon rim drive is Mummy
Cave
overlook and Massacre
Other
than White House walking trial, no access to the canyon floor is allowed unless
with an authorized Navajo guide. For a fee a Navajo guide will take you and your
four wheel drive into the canyon and drive to all the sites that can be seen
from the canyon rim, and more. The canyon drive covers mainly a sandy creek area
along Wheatfields creek for Canyon de Chelly and Tsaile Creek for Canyon del
Muerto. Due to time constraints we stuck with the rim drives but if you have the
time the guided canyon floor tours appeared well worth the effort and noting a
Land Rover cannot handle.
A long drive but worth it
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Driving
up from the south along highway 163 its easy to know when you are approaching
Monument Valley as you pass Mystery Valley and Wetherill Mesa to the right
[that’s east if using a compass] of the road. From the turnoff you drive past
Mitchell Butte and Gray Whiskers, a nice introduction to what you are about to
view. Your National Parks Pass will not get you into this area but the $10 fee
is well worth it. As a kid I used to love watching westerns, imagining myself
riding a horse across desert like country with magnificent rock formations in
the back ground.
The
best way to see this area is by taking your Land Rover [yes even that new Range
Rover Sport will be safe] on the self guided valley drive from the visitors
center. As you drive past the car park and start your descent to the valley
proper, have your camera ready. It hits you like a punch in the face. The
Mittens and
Merrick
The
Three sisters are three pinnacles of rock standing side by side to the south
west of John Fords point and best seen in the morning light. From there we
traveled around Rain God Mesa where we could see Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei
which are several other rock pillars. Thunderbird Mesa
is to the right
[that’s south] of the trail at this point. Navajo Indian Nation guided tours
actually take you down and around Thunderbird Mesa giving closer views into this
area and Hunts Mesa and effectively doubles the trip through this Valley for any
visitor. Again due to that stupid time constraint we had we were unable to take
the guided tour although we were by no means disappointed doing our self guided
tour.
From
the car park at the east end of Rain God Mesa you get a closer look at Totem
Pole & Yei Bi Chei and Sand Springs. North of this point is Spearhead Mesa
which you follow up to Artists point. Make sure you stop and this point and take
out your camera. Looking north from here you can see up to the rock formations
Castle
Butte, Bear & Rabbit,
Stagecoach, Big Indian and others. Merrick Butte is to the north west. Driving west will
bring you to North Window and the Thumb and Camel Butte. This then returned us
to the main trail we drove in on and back to the visitor center with a quick
stop for a drink and look around for souvenirs. At this stage we noticed
something important, be aware of the price of generic gifts. We saw several
items that were literally twice the price of identical items down in Canyon de
Chelly. Suffice to say we restrained from purchasing anything available
elsewhere here.
Driving
north from Monument Valley back on highway 163 affords more spectacular views as
you pass Sentinel Mesa on the right along with more views of Castle Butte, Bear
& Rabbit, Stagecoach and Big Indian along with Brigham’s Tomb, The King on
His Throne and The Setting Hen which is next to Eagle Mesa on the left side of
the highway. Take it slow and there are some great spots for those last minute
photos, especially with late afternoon sun.
Other
Native American and National Park places to visit in the area include Antelope
Canyon, Window Rock, Grand Canyon
National Park
and Hubbell Trading
Post.
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Ok
this part of our trip was not using a Four Wheel Drive
but it was a lot of
fun. Since we were not taking the 4WD off road, and both Max & I are off
road nuts, we decided to go on a little diversion. Black Hawk Tours is owned and
operated by Ben Black out of Blanding Utah. Blanding is south
of Moab
and surrounded by Natural
Bridges
National Monument, Valley of the Gods
and various other interesting destinations. Ben is a descendant of the original
Black Mormon family of the area, is a bit of a “good ‘ol boy” and a great
amusing guide.
Our
tour took us into
Arch
Canyon
which provided great
scenery including stone pillars, Anasazi ruins and several natural arches.
Whilst the ruins and arches do not compare to those from Mesa Verde or Arches
National Park, they are outside of
a normal tourist environment and provide an interesting perspective to how and
where ancient people lived.
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Arch Canyon Photos taken by Max Amos
To
get to this out of the way park from Blanding Utah
you drive west along
Highway 95 then north on Highway 275, 40 miles in all. The park was established
by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 making it Utah’s first National Park
and has to be the smallest that I have ever visited, the main drive around the
park [which covers most of the park] is a mere 9 miles in length. A visit to
this park is a good contrast to Arches
National Park. Basically Natural
Bridges are made from water erosion from a nearby stream or river. Over time a
large hole is worn into the sandstone by the stream and a bridge is formed.
Arches are formed away from running water with sections worn away over time or
loosed by water seeping into cracks, freezing then breaking off the stone. Wind
then clears out the debris to for an arch.
There
are three natural bridges to view in this park, Sipapu, Kachina &
Owachomo
Other
places to visit in the area include Glen
Canyon, Valley of the Gods,
Navajo Twin Rocks and Manti La Sal National Forest.
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This
park is located just on the northern outskirts of Moab Utah. Before you visit
this park you should note that to fully appreciate the arches and scenery you
will need to get out of your air conditioned Land Rover and go for a walk, Ok
lots of walks. We allocated 1 day to visit this park but could easily have taken
2 or 3 days to see and experience all the sights.
First
port of call was a 3 mile round trip hike out to Delicate Arch. This normally
takes about 1 ½ - 2 hours round trip but if you are not very fit may take
considerably longer. The path rises almost 500 feet from the car park at Wolfe
Ranch [established by disabled Civil War Veteran John Wesley Wolfe and his son]
inside the park to the end and there is little shade along the way. We chose to
walk first thing in the morning to avoid the heat since a lot of the climb is up
open slick rock similar to many of the driving trials throughout the
Sand
Dune Arch is right next to Broken Arch and makes an easy second hike. It is only
about ½ mile to Sand Dune Arch with the other being clearly visible from the
trail and not requiring any more of a hike. Luckily a spectacular arch called
Skyline Arch is right next to the road so for those too lazy to go for a hike
you can take a nice photo out of the Land Rover’s window.
Between
Sand Dune Arch and Skyline Arch there is a dirt road turnoff that will take you
up
If
you have taken the same hikes and stop offs as we did you will have walked about
4 ½ miles by now. Out of breathe yet? No! Good! Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch and
Landscape Arch can be easily accessed from the Devils Garden Trail head which is
at the northernmost end of the sealed road in the park. With the minor
diversions this is about a 1 ¾ mile round trip hike along a fairly good
pathway. This path also leads up to Dark Angel, Private Arch, Double O Arch,
Wall Arch, Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. We did not go to these extra sites
due to time [and I wanted to get back early enough for a few Beers] but they are
worth the extra time and effort to visit if you can manage it. On the day we
visited a small herd of deer were feeding right next to the path, one was only
10 feet from where I stood.
All
Arched out yet? With over 2,000 cataloged arches, which is the highest density
of natural arches in the world, it would be easy to get arched out. If you are
like us and not arched out at this time a short detour to Cove Arch, North &
South Window, Turret Arch and Double Arch is worth the time. The turn off is
near Balanced Rock on the way out just in case you chicken out at this stage.
The walk around this area is less than a mile in total along an easy trial with
some loose sand and rocks. This area has spectacular Arch views although
fantastic views can be seen from the car park.
I
could probably write another few pages just on this Park but with limited space
all I can say is get out to Moab and dedicate a day or two to exploring this
natural wonder. Other places to visit in the area include Canyonlands
National Park
and the La Sal
Mountains.
Traveling around we saw lots of Discovery I & II’s, a few Range Rover Classics, a Series II, a Defender 130 and a couple of LR3’s but no new Range Rovers or Range Rover Sports. Where are all the owners of these new vehicles? From what we saw over the week long trip they are just not using them to get out and explore the country. This is a real pity as the newer Land Rovers are excellent touring vehicles that need to be used for more than just strutting around town, collecting the groceries and kids from school. If you own one of these newer vehicles take them out and explore, you would be surprised just how much you can see without risking getting them scratched off road, although a few scratches always improve the character of a good Land Rover.