Route 66, Four Corners, Mesa Verde

We left Flagstaff at 5am. Every morning on this trips was an early morning, packed with things to see. We purposely picked this route so we could see Winslow, Arizona and the famous location of the song, Take It Easy. We got there before the sun rose and there was no one around. 

It was so worth the trip of the highway to see. We played Take it Easy as we arrived. We studied the background of why Jackson Browne wrote about this location. Here’s what I found out:

As legend has it, Jackson Browne was driving to Sedona on Route 66 when his car broke down in the middle of Winslow. Winslow had some acclaim in the 50s with a celebrated hotel, the historic La Posada hotel. Then , in the 60s the town almost disappeared after I-40 was built and by-passed the town.

We took some photos and then it was on to the Petrified Forest National Park. We got there too early, it wasn’t opened yet. So we took a photo. I didn’t want to wait because I really wanted to spend as much time at Mesa Verde. I had been reading so much about the park and the cliff dwellings, I didn’t want to waste any time. [Note, we ended up spending a lot of time in Petrified Forest the next day, on the way to Tucson.]

We continued on toward the Four Corners Monument, Navajo Tribal Park. Monument on Route 40.

We drove past Gallup and Shiprock, and admired the Painted Desert. It was so beautiful watching the sunrise in the middle of the desert. 

We turned off the highway, for the Four Corners Monument not knowing what to expect. In the middle of nowhere was this park and buildings. We paid our admission and entered. There were vendors all around the middle of the park selling native american art and jewelry. I wanted to remember this place since it was magical with the flag and the history and wind, so I bought a ring from a native american woman. We took a bunch of photos and then headed to the hike. 

We hiked down the trail stepping in all four states: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. It is a rugged landscape and today the blue sky was accented with puffy, white clouds. October is the best time to go here. Very few people were here so there weren’t any lines, and it was cold-ish. 

Now it was onward to Cortez, where we would stay the night, and Mesa Verde. The drive was spectacular and clouds threatened the entire afternoon. We could see oncoming dark clouds most of the time and got rained on a bit. But there were not many people in the park which made it very nice. There was a fire here, too, in 2002. You can still see fire scars driving to the mesa.

Mesa Verde was magical. It was everything I expected and more. It has a vibe, something in the air that made me feel the history, the people who lived here. As we started the drive up to the mesa I was just awaiting after every turn something beautiful but the coolest part was when I got out of the car, walked the trail, and just around the first curve, I saw it – the cliff dwellings under the overhanging cliffs. Cliff Palace.

There is nothing like it in the world. I just stared and couldn’t take my eyes off it. I walked closer for a different perspective. It was spectacular, I felt the sacredness of this place. We stopped at Spruce Tree House, Cliff Palace and Balcony House. 

Guided tours of the cliff dwellings ended a few days before we arrived so we could only look from afar. Next time, and there will be another trip here, I will do a tour and get close. 

I wanted to come here and just be in the park, experience being there. I wanted to take in the landscape and watch the sky. This is exactly what I did. We brought our lunch and sat on a bench and just watched. On the drive back down we stopped at the Fire Lookout and took in the amazing views.

I cannot wait to come back here.

We stayed the night in Cortez and at first light, headed south to Tucson and Saguaro National Park.