The Overwhelming Experience Of Being In Four States At Once

Between Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon, we didn't have many destinations planned out, so we were essentially just improvising routes and taking in the scenic views from the drive. We did a lot of driving through this period, although the winding, mountainous route we took didn't cover a ton of ground. The lone landmark that we talked about seeing along this drive was the Four Corners. From Pagosa Springs,  we were about two and a half hours from Four Corners and off we went.

Chimney Rock in southwest Colorado. One of the many Chimney Rock's we'd seen up to this point. Check out Lake Lure, NC. We saw many of these types of rock formations throughout the Southwest thus far, but they were spectacular every time we saw them.  

Peter: "One double cheeseburger without pickles, please."

Sonic: "Who doesn't like pickles with their burgers? Pickles on burgers are as American as warm apple pie!"

Peter: "..."

Viewer discretion advised:

A tragic bike accident stopped traffic for an hour in the stormy weather outside of Mesa Verde National Park. We eventually drove past and witnessed the graphic aftermath of the accident. It is always a sobering reminder of the dangers of the road and to always drive cautiously especially in inclement weather. We were silent and uncomfortable for miles and both of us will carry that with us for the rest of our lives.   

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The accident left us with odd feelings and we weren't quite ready to do really fun things. We were going to go to Mesa Verde, but the cost of entry and treacherous drive in the foul weather convinced us to keep driving on the main highway towards Four Corners. As time passed, our lighthearted approach to travels came back. We found a casino.

Beautiful Ute Mountain Casino in Cortez, Colorado.

The reflective ceiling evoked thoughts of a house of mirrors in a horror movie.

"The happiest place on earth."

Peter two for two on video poker on the trip. This time an $11.40 ticket. See Deadwood's haul.

A few miles down the highway from the casino we spotted this impressive formation that stood alone amongst large plateaus in the distance. 

We took the road off the main highway that drove alongside the large rock. Surprisingly, nobody seemed to ever use the road. We stopped at this abandoned rock home that was too strange to pass by. 

Wolf attempting what we've deemed a "Crosby, Stills, and Nash" pose. We had our first with Reed back in Missoula, MT.

Left a Peter and the Wolf business card for the next visitor.

We made it. The hallowed grounds of Four Corners. The only place where four states intersect at one point.

The monument itself, surrounded by mostly vacant, built-in stands where vendors could sell Four Corners merchandise from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Our excitement couldn't be contained. 

Where all the magic happens.

Which state were Peter and The Wolf standing in? (The answer below is the song)

a) Colorado

b) New Mexico

c) Arizona

d) Utah 

Who thought it could be possible to complete a pass from Arizona to Colorado?

Like two kids in a candy store.

Dominating the Four Corners. Possibly symbolic to squashing a particularly gross and annoying insect.

Driving on Indian Highway 35 through the Navajo Reservation, we encountered an almost mystical sight. A mustang appeared on the left side of the highway and was trotting with purpose toward something. It was this (picture). A father wearing a blue bandana and his two young sons (so we suspected) riding horseback together in the open desert. This was not a Western or cowboys and Indians movie; it was the real thing. This romantic image summoned a lot of emotions about American roots, father and son traditions, Native American pride, and different lifestyles. 

Heading north on Indian Highway 35 toward Bluff, Utah.

Answer: A. "Colorado" - Manassas

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

After a good sleep in Santa Fe National Forest, we packed up shop, and headed north through the mountainous pass towards Colorado. Santa Fe was only the beginning of the quaint Native American villages we were about to encounter. As we made our way up Highway 84, we altered our route to pass through La Puebla. An antique store caught our eye, but after we made a U-turn, we found that it was closed. Disappointed, we hopped back into Black Sal en route to Truchas. Here, we struck gold, or more literally, turquoise. Although we weren't the only shoppers in this local artist consignment store, we felt a sense of pride, knowing we hadn't succumb to the tourist trap shops that sell high volumes of highly priced, mass produced art. Peter bought a beautiful turquoise bracelet and Wolf walked away with a hand made birthday card which oozed style. Blasting music, we were excited for our next stop, Taos. Wolf's mom had only great things to say about this high-elevation artist community. As we approached the town, tourists flooded the streets and raided the overpriced novelty shops. With gifts safely bubble wrapped in the car, and knowledge from Deadwood, we pushed B Sal into 5th gear and kept driving. 

A shot of the scenic highway as we headed north to our gift stops and small artist towns.

The local artist consignment store in Truchas. Located on a mountainside in Santa Fe National Park, this store sold art from over fifteen local artists in a twenty mile radius. Each artist was supplied a display where you could view their art and learn more about the vision and history of the artists. Each collection had a uniqueness ranging from hand crafted jewelry to paintings to sculptures to abstract art. We spent our time viewing the work and reading about each personality.

Peter cutting a deal with the shop owner. We were now veterans at wheeling and dealing and after she made a call to the artist Peter was purchasing his bracelet from, he knocked an undisclosed amount off the price. Happy one-year anniversary, Katie! 

Arrived in Taos. Loved the architecture of the town, but as we said, didn't stop.

The consistent traffic in Taos.

The road turning greener as we climb to 10,000 feet en route to Colorado.

Out of nowhere, we crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. We stood in the middle while the passing cars shook the sidewalk. The queasiness never subsided. 

A Grande warm-up to the Grand Canyon.

Only a few miles after the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, we began to see these crazy structures. This photo may look like run-of-the-mill scenery, but in the distance, you can spot one of the most unique houses we had ever seen. Apparently, New Mexico is host to the largest "Earthship Biotecture" homes in the United States. These houses are 100% self-sufficient and built solely of recycled materials. Check them out. 

Getting closer to the Colorado border.

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We said goodbye to New Mexico and hello to Colorado as we continued on to our final resting spot, Pagosa Springs. We were only seventeen miles away when break lights halted our progress. Just north of Chromo, Colorado, an ill-advised uphill pass resulted in a three car collision where fortunately no one was seriously injured, but unfortunately blocked the two-lane Highway 84. Peter and The Wolf do not sit idly and wait, we travel on. We took two county roads laced with loose gravel around the accident. It was a great move that saved us an hour.

Thanks for the warm welcome Colorado. 

When we arrived in Pagosa Springs, we found a small motel near the downtown area. For the first time on the trip, Peter and The Wolf separated for hours as Wolf went to Bear Creek Saloon to watch Chip and the Eagles, while Peter stayed behind to celebrate his one-year anniversary with his girlfriend, Katie. 

This is where the magic happened. Peter and Katie shared a Thai dinner and a bottle of wine as they enjoyed a romantic Skype dinner. A great way to spend the night together. 

John Denver - "Rocky Mountain High"

The New Mexican Metropolises

Sumner Lake was glorious. We could have stayed there beyond our two nights, but we had new experiences awaiting. We took one last dip in the lake, packed up the tent, greeted the arriving weekend crowd and were on our way. We stopped at a famous cafe in Santa Rosa, just 20 miles north, called Joseph's. There, we sampled New Mexico's finest crop, green chilies. They are thrown into every item on the menu and we had hearty green chile enchiladas. With a full stomach, we headed down Route 66 en route to Albuquerque. After the drive through the desert, we eventually arrived in New Mexico's largest city. 

Outside Joesph's Cafe. The green chili enchiladas with rice and beans were phenomenal. The rest of the car ride was less pleasant. 

Peter politely rolls down the window to alleviate the stench.  

We arrived in Albuquerque a bit too early. The bars opened at 4 pm and our parking meter expired at 4:22. Luckily, The Library was open. Not your conventional library as we consumed a couple Modelos inside, but we did get in some quality blog work.

After The Library, we walked down Central Avenue in the heart of downtown and stopped at an assortment of shops: hat shop, shoe shop, thrift shop, and the Indian Jewelry and Crafts shop (pictured). We began to see a lot of these Indian jewelry shops that sold handmade jewelry and other crafts from families of local Native American tribes. Eventually we stopped at an unopened retro bar that was playing the 70's band, Cactus, and we stayed for awhile playing shuffle board.    

And then we were off to Santa Fe. The Albuquerqueans piqued our excitement for what the state's capital had to offer. We took the scenic Highway 14 byway through the Cibola National Forest. Along there were a few small towns like Madrid that had funky little shops and studios that looked like buildings out of the Flintstones (cue Mt. Rockmore). We tried stopping at a music store that caught our eye; but as the theme continues, businesses in small towns operate on their own time. 

When we arrived in Santa Fe, we set up our tent in Santa Fe National Forest. With our resting place settled, we hit the town. 

Peter watching the 49ers play the Broncos in an exhibition game at El Paseo Bar and Grill.

Another beautiful sunset in New Mexico.

There was a concert going on at the main plaza, but we arrived right as a band finished it's last set. 

This is a view from the plaza looking down San Francisco St. with the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi at the end of the road.

Very impressive cathedral.

Peter couldn't pass up the double chocolate ice cream cone at Haagen-Dazs.

Campfire before hitting the cots. Temperature was lovely in the fifties.

Cactus - "One Way...Or Another"

Sumner Breeze

With Lubbock in the rear-view mirror and eight nights in the state of Texas under our proverbial belt buckles, we were ready for a new state. New Mexico seemed so foreign to us. We purchased fans back in Dallas in anticipation for the scorching heat of New Mexico and the rest of our journey through the Southwest. However, New Mexico turned out to be a dry and comfortable climate with enough heat to inspire another search for a swimming hole. We saw a large lake off Highway 84 about an hour into New Mexico. Sumner Lake State Park was our spot.

The border town of Texas and Mexico is appropriately named Texico, not to be confused with the gas station, Texaco. About fifteen miles beyond Texico, we stopped at a Wal Mart in Clovis to purchase food and gaming supplies.

We had no idea we would be able to find our own private beach to set up camp.

We purchased pvc pipes to play beersbee, which we learned from John and Hunter back in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

We also purchased beer.

Wolf throwing a hail mary to shore.

We played Water Footbeer for hours. The game we invented at Benton Lake.

Crisp sunset on our first night at Sumner Lake.

The sun woke us up early the next morning and we decided to go to a library in the nearby town of Fort Sumner to get work done on the blog.

The Fraternity of Eagles (FOE) was a bar of elitist alcoholics that wouldn't let us in unless we joined their club. Criteria for joining: 60 bucks and at least nine teeth. We respectfully turned down the offer. 

The librarians couldn't believe that we were staying without visiting the grave site of legendary 19th century outlaw, Billy the Kid.

The Kid's grave was stolen in 1950 and wasn't recovered until 1976. It was stolen again in 1981, but turned up only a few days later. As you can see, they've made security adjustments.

There's a small village of mostly trailer homes within Sumner Lake State Park and this is the local restaurant/bar/grocery store called The Hideaway. It is unfortunately for lease.

The owner's son-in-law, Michael, hung out with us and shot a few games of Cutthroat with us. Michael is a truck driver in New Mexico who was taking time off to help manage the restaurant while his mother-in-law tried to sell the place. Awesome guy with a smile that lit up the room.  

Panoramic shot of Sumner Lake and Peter throwing out the trash.

Hawaiian Shirt Wednesday never felt so good.

Action shot of Beersbee. Three points if he directly knocks off the bottle. Close, Wolf, but no cigar.

Another gorgeous and colorful sunset over Sumner Lake. The sky is so big that you could see lightning storms and rain clouds in the distance.

We collected mass amounts of twigs for a kindling fire. Tough to find any type of lumber out there. 

With the campfire blazing, Peter got out his guitar so we could work on the Peter and the Wolf Ride America theme song.

Seals & Crofts - "Summer Breeze"