Adventure 31: Goodbye Utah/Hello Colorado

Many Humans Came Before

We hooked up Fric and Frac Saturday night, leaving only unhooking power and removing wheel shocks for the morning. We pulled out at seven, just before sunrise. Clearly, we said to ourselves, we should have gone up to the point for a sunrise view of the canyon. As it was we caught glimpses on our way into Moab. Sunrise is just as amazing as sunset, maybe even more so because the light increases rather than recedes. We had planned on becoming Baptist's for a Sunday, but their service didn't start until eleven. So after a really good breakfast at the EklecticCafe, we had to once again become Catholics. Oh, wait--I am Catholic. Anyway, breakfast was fabulous. I had Huevos Rancheros; Judy had Polenta and Veggies; we shared a fat cinnamon roll, and the coffee was rich. Mass was brief (exceptionally so--37 minutes), and our trip to Cortez, Colorado was uneventful. We did take an amazing 84 mile side trip to the Hoven Weep, which is a National monument dedicated by Warren Harding. It is the remains of ancestors of the Pueblo Indians who lived in the canyon somewhere around 1100 A.D. What remains is evidence of their mason homes, granaries, and worship structures. One theory is that drought drove them South; another is that war devastated them. Who knows? I do know that nature, human avarice, and subjection continue to effect the human experience. What was still is and seems it will ever be, but in the meantime in this space right here, right now, life is good, especially today. 

 

The rave reviews are accurate for this funky joint.

 Artist's wares are for sale: The tables are like glass cases in a jewelry store. Rings and things under glass, cleverly peeking up and around your huge plates of green chile smothered rancheros, urging any unwary impulse: Buy me!

 Indoor and outdoor seating. We were there by eight and the place was already hopping!

 My pictures didn't capture it, but this canyon was a mini version of those we've been viewing for the last few weeks. This one was shallow and not too steep. The Indians did their dry land farming on the hillsides behind these structures.

 Square shapes, round shapes, structures built right onto rock.

 The local artist must have lived in this boulder house, or maybe the chief?

 This cylinder sits right on the point, and looks South down the canyon.

 A cross canyon view. Crop lands in the background.

 The inside of the remains of the cylinder; they say it is a ceremonial place.

 A view from the end of the canyon; different cylindrical structures in the background.

 The San Juan Mountains in the distance.

 Just a pretty picture.

 A sense of the shallow nature of the canyon.

The masonry.

Fric and Frac's new home at the Sunset RV Park nestled in downtown Cortez, CO. Nice, clean, well run. Several long term residents.