A Griswald Experience

We left Durango early-ish (for us) at about 9 and taking a tip from Davitt we modified our route slightly and made a quick stop at the new Mesa Verde visitor center. Very nice (and very crowded).

Our original plan had been to go south to Shiprock via Farmington, and then pick up US 160 again. Instead we just continued on US 160, which is where we had stayed in Durango, and continued on from the Mesa Verde visitor's center towards the Four Corners Monument. 

We paid our entry fee ($3 a head) and proceeded to where the marker was (or more correctly, tried to proceed). For those who have never visited this site, the only thing paved in the area is US 160. Everything else is rock, gravel, dirt, you get the idea. The brass monument is just about a one block drive from the highway and ideally it is possible to drive around it so that you can announce to the world that you just drove through four states (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico) in less than a minute. You notice I used the word "ideally."

This is the marker that everyone is wanting to see. Unfortunately we did not see it on this trip. This photo is from a previous trip seven years ago. Oh, and for the record, the actual site is apparently about 12 miles away.

You have probably never noticed that gravel and dirt areas do not have marked parking areas, and this was the situation there. The place was packed, and people seemed to park wherever they wanted to. I had driven forward about as far as I could, and still pull an emergency maneuver if I had to. In front of me was a mass of parked cars. To my left was a narrow passage which may have led somewhere, I don't know. Off to my right was a very large tent, probably for vendors. I say that because the the entrance to that area was blocked of by a bright yellow tape with a sign, "Vendor Parking Only."

So there we are in a 37 foot motorhome towing a car behind us. We couldn't move forward, I didn't dare go left to who knows where, and the yellow tape warned that we couldn't go that way. There didn't seem to be anyone in charge. I set the brake, turned on the four-way flashers, ignored the cars behind me, and got out to look around. 

I saw a middle-aged Indian in the vendor parking area and walked over to him and asked if it would be ok to drive through the area. He shrugged his shoulders like a person that was just visiting - he probably was. There was no one else around so I figured that I would take a walk. I walked over to the left in the direction of the narrow passage and wound up walking around the entire monument, which was surrounded by vendors' booths. The area was a little less than  a city block, and I wound up back at the vendors' parking area.

Time to take matters into my own hands. There was a narrow space between the end of the yellow tape and the mass of parked cars and I pointed the motorhome towards it. Joyce got out, walked over to the saw-horse, and moved it just enough so that I could drive through, replacing it as I passed through. She got back in and we proceeded around the monument. We couldn't help but notice all of the empty parking space on both sides and the rear of the monument - all labelled "Visitor Parking." The only problem was that nobody could get to it!

We continued around and found the narrow gap that I had seen earlier. It was getting even narrower with more people wanting to park in front. We barely made it through. But we did make it. We opted not to stop and see the marker, but proceeded on to Flagstaff with no further issues.

Oh - I saw a roadrunner crossing the road in front of us. Beep. Beep.