SW UTAH/ SE COLORADO

Jules’ Journal:

By: Julianne Lillie

4/25/23: Four Corners & Mesa Verde National Park

We packed a picnic and set out for our adventures for the day! We had a 1-hour drive to Four Corners National Monument which was on Navajo Reservation land. Hardly anyone was there & the weather was perfect! We got to take as many photos as we wanted because there was no line!

Jett decided to do pushups in all 4 states at once!

After photos, we could shop the different Navajo booths to see their homemade pieces. Now we can say we shopped in 4 states in 30 minutes! We bought some fun souvenirs as well as some gifts. Jett bought a big arrowhead with his money. Jaycie bought a handmade beaded bookmark & hairclips.

After that we drove another hour into Colorado to visit Mesa Verde National Park.

We started at the visitor center where we stamped our passports, picked up Jr Ranger booklets, browsed the exhibits and bought souvenirs. It waws really neat to see that the visitor center also was an active archeological research center, and they had window looking into the rows and rows of catalogued artifacts that were discovered in the park.

The weather was very strange today. When we walked into the visitor center it was partly cloudy and breezy. Here was a photo of the sculpture in front of the visitor center as we entered in:

But, while we were working on Jr Ranger books, it started hailing and then raining. The sky grew very dark. The kids earned Jr Ranger badge #104!

And then we talked with a park ranger to see what exploration routes would be best suited for us today… given the season and today’s weather. He told us that unfortunately half the park was closed… partly because of heavy snow or due to renovations/construction. And unfortunately, guided tours of the cliff dwellings didn’t start until late May. So our timing wasn’t great. But he showed us the places we could explore and some “must do’s” on the map. As we were walking out of the visitor center it looked like the dark clouds were leaving and we were just misted on. And the temperature sure had dropped!

We set out to drive the Top Mesa Verde loop road and as we entered higher elevations, we entered the dark clouds. It quickly started to sleet and snow on us and didn’t let up. It was like this for 15 miles which yielded us zero visability… it was a bit scary at times since it was a windy 2 lane road!

Finally, out of nowhere, it all disappeared, and the sun came out just as we were arriving to our first stop: Spruce Tree overlook. We got out of the truck, and I saw a post office. So, I grabbed our post cards, dropped them off, and bought more stamps. It was a super cute little post office!

We then walked a short trail to the overlook. The Spruce Tree cliff dwelling was awesome!

I really wished we could’ve gone on a tour to get a closer look at them, but this just gives us a reason to come back!

We then hopped into the car and kept driving until we got to the Cliff Palace overlook. It was MASSIVE!

It is the largest ancient cliff dwelling in North America!

We took our time looking at it as we shared our binoculars and took photos. It was wild to think that ancient civilizations lived in the side of a cliff and collected their water from seep pools coming out of the rocks. And they climbed up and over to farm and hunt the land on top of their dwellings. So wild!

Back to the car we headed to 2 see two more: “House with many windows”...

...& the “Hemenway House.”

Our next stop was Soda Canyon trailhead where we hiked 1.2 miles out along the rim of the canyon and saw 3 overlooks along the way.

We got good views of the “Balcony House.” And using our binoculars, we scanned the canyon walls and found several more smaller cliff dwellings. We learned from our books that there are over 600 cliff dwellings within the Mesa Verde National Park boundary. WOW!

After the hike, we headed to our last stop: Cedar Tree Tower. It was ruins of an old circular tower. Archeologists are unsure what the ancient Puebloans used it for, some speculate it was for special ceremonials or for communication using smoke signals.

After that, we headed home (2-hour drive) and enjoyed the vistas driving back across the top of the Mesa since we had missed all the scenery on the way in.

We arrived the RV about 6pm. We were hoping to eat dinner outside and have a fire, but unfortunately the weather is still chilly, and the wind had picked up. We are really missing our outdoor dinners and fire time on this half of the trip. It’s been either too windy, too cold, or too wet to do much outside at our campsites in the evenings. Praying warmer weather comes soon!

4/27/23: Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway through Bears Ears National Monument”

We had a full day to pack in, so we got up early, packed a picnic along with of our gear, and were out the door by 8:30am. We went on a downright ancient road trip all throughout Bears Ears NM in SE Utah. We had 12 stops where we saw archeology thousands of years old and landscapes created through eons of erosion! In total, it took us 8.5 hours of exciting exploration today! Here’s a re-cap:

1. Navajo Twin Rocks – drove by them today, but we planned to eat brunch at the café the following day (which we did!) These rocks were named for the Hero Twins, who held immense power in Navajo creation stories. The twin rocks also symbolize twin prayers sticks that bless and watch over the Navajo to this day.

2. Sand Island Petroglyph Panel – these ancient rock carvings are estimated to be 3,000 years old and were believed to have been purposefully carved into this massive side of the rock to either guide and/or warn others coming after them. Think of it as an ancient billboard!

3. Comb Ridge – The ancient natives called this 80-mile monocline Comb ridge because it resembled a Rooster’s jagged comb.

4. Drove a 17-mille unpaved road through the Valley of the Gods. Breathtaking views of majestic Cedar Mesa sandstone Buttes and Monoliths! We also played chicken with a Class A motorhome at one point… very narrow road so we just backed up to the last pull off!

5. Goosenecks State Park – we walked along the rim and saw a double horseshoe bend in the San Juan River. It was awe-inspiring!

6. Navajo Tapestry – drove by the chevron patterned layers of rock… it truly looked like a Navajo woven blanket!

7. Drove the unpaved Moki Dugway with 11% grade and series of switchbacks all the way up to the top of the Cliff’s edge (1200 ft.). We saw tons of signs clearly stating no trucks, RVs, or vehicles longer than 22 ft.

And there we had a semi-truck go up in front of us….

....And another one behind us!

They somehow made those tight switchbacks all the way up. Not sure why they did it… but we witnessed it! And it was STEEP!

8. Muley Point - Once at the top, we stopped at Muley Point overlook and were gifted stunning vistas. We could see for hundreds of miles! We bouldered out to the edge and we could see out over the Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park, & Monument Valley. The views were amazing, and it was good to stretch out our legs!

9. Bears Ears Buttes - As we drove down the backside, we found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive! Cows on either side of the road with 2 horseback cowboys trying to move a herd of cattle!

We saw this on our way to view the famous Bear Ears Buttes. The buttes stand at over 8,700 feet and can be seen for miles in every direction. Bears Ears is an important ancestral home for Native Americans; tribes that originate in the area have deep connections to these lands and feature stories and legends about the Bears Ears’ buttes in their oral traditions.

10. Natural Bridges National Monument – We stopped at the Visitor Center only to find they were on a lunch break.

So, we picked up a map and went ahead and found a place to eat our picnic.

Then we continued the one-way loop to check out all 3 of the natural bridges on display: Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo. The first two we viewed from the overlook.

Here's Sipapu:

And Kachina:

And the last one, Owachomo, we hiked the 1-mile trail down into the canyon to get a better view from underneath it!

While here, we met and chatted with a couple from Czech Republic who shipped their Truck/Camper thingy (like a small earth roamer) to the Panama Canal and they (along with their 18-mo old daughter) are driving up through Central & North America to Alaska!

We were so impressed with their adventurous spirit and ambition! They were impressed with Ja’s truck… the wife even asked to climb in the truck to see it up close. And she did! LOL! They just kept saying how big and luxurious this was. And kept asking questions about our camper… they couldn’t believe it was 40 feet long. They don’t have anything remotely that size where they come from. We exchanged some stories and blog info and wished them safe travels on their way! Very friendly folks! Once we made it back to the Visitor’s Center, the kids completed their Jr Ranger badge and earned #105!

(*Fun fact: the park was named the WORLD’S FIRST International Dark Sky Park in 2007 and has some of the most stunning night skies in the state. On our last night in the area we attended a night sky program! Jaycie talks more about it in her blog.)

11. Mule Canyon Historic Site – Anasazi Ruins over 1,000 years ago that we could walk right up to!

This site is believed to have been home to multiple family dwellings, a tower, and an underground Kiva. We also saw a beautiful Kingfisher bird perched on a single, thin vertical branch. And we saw a gorgeous Collared Lizard sunning himself!

12. Last stop was Butler Wash Trailhead. We hiked the 1-mile trail to an overlook where you could see 4 cliff dwellings. They were all very cool!

We then headed the remaining 30 minutes home, but first stopped at the Bears Ears Educational Center to pick up Jr Ambassador Packets. (Bears Ears NM is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, not the National Park Service. So, their junior programs are a little different, but are still educational and free!) The kids earned their Jr Ambassador Patches which were super cool!

Then we were back at the RV in time for dinner and a sunset stroll. We enjoyed the RV campground’s hummingbird sanctuary. There was at least 20+ hummingbirds feeding. And if you stood still enough, they would just buzz all around you!

The sunset was beautiful tonight!

It was a perfect ending to an awesome day!

Jaycie’s Bunny Hoppin’ Rattlesnake!

By: Jaycie Lillie, 4/28/23

We had just finished our Jr Ranger books at Hovenweep National Monument when we started a hike. The rangers warned us to be careful and look out for snakes! At first, we saw many lizards, but no snakes.

I was happy about that! Until we did see a snake! Jett stops and starts backing up announcing he found a rattlesnake! I backed far away. Momma got closer! She wanted to take a picture.

It rattled its rattle at us, then slithered away under a rock into its hiding place. I stayed at the back of the line.

We talked to a guy shortly after our encounter and he mentioned he saw 2 the previous evening in the same location we did. He showed us his video, but I didn’t watch. Jett and Momma thought it was so cool.

We then went back to the Visitor Center and created art. Here's mine:

Later that night at Natural Bridges National Monument we attended a Night Sky ranger led program. I liked it.

We learned how to do owl calls while we were waiting for the sun to set!

The moon was very bright which hindered us from seeing the Milky Way, but we still had fun stargazing!

Jett’s Wild Flight: Hovenweep National Monument

By: Jett Lillie, 4/28/23

We woke up and ate breakfast/brunch at the Twin Rocks Café, which was ridiculously expensive.

I ate bacon and eggs. Jaycie & Momma ordered weird blue corn pancakes with blueberries & pumpkin seeds – yuck!

I also got hot chocolate - yum!

Daddy ordered the GOAT which came with Indian Fry bread. I tried it but didn’t like it.

After that we drove 40 minutes to Hovenweep National Monument, watched the park film, and earned 2 Jr Ranger badges: #106 – regular Hovenweep NM badge & #107 – Special Centennial badge!

After that, we went on the Ruins hiking trail. On that hike I found a scaly lizard as well as my sweet fat friend, Fred, the PRAIRIE RATTLESNAKE! I almost stepped on him, and he wasn’t happy about that because he rattled his tail as he scurried back home.

We finished the trail looking at all the Pueblo ruins and hunting for more snakes. Lots more lizards, but sadly, no more snakes.

Before leaving, we drew some art and the ranger put it on display in the visitor center.

Jaycie's Mine Mommy's Daddy's

We then went home and rested up for a night sky program. We drove back to Natural Bridges NM for the ranger led program and looks at all the stars! She had a powerful laser pointer and showed us all the many constellations! Our phone apps helped, too!

Thanks for reading!