GOOSENECKS OF THE SAN JUAN STATE PARK

The following morning, en route to Monument Valley (an area actually on Navajo Indian reservation), we stopped the Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park. This largely an overlook of the San Juan River as it meanders toward the Colorado, but the river flows about 5 miles while only traveling one mile as the crow flies.

Between the Four Corners and the Goosenecks state park is a short drive through the Valley of the Gods (http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/mexican_hat/valley_of_the_gods.html) which is said to be worth the side trip, but one htat we missed due to time limitations.

Visible from the road is the "mexican hat" an oddly shaped natural phenomenon of wind and water erosion. (see photo). I also included a photo of a small lizard friend I found at the Goosenecks state park. He was a bit of a chameleon as he could change colors to match the surronding rock.

BLUFF, UT & the FOUR CORNERS AREA

The Four Corners area is home to the heinous 1998 murder of an area Sheriff and shooting up of the area by several convicts. The story is retold in a National Geographic Adventure magazine here http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2008/10/fugitives/david-roberts-text/1

During the manhunt, several law enforcement men and women stayed at the Recapture Lodge where we would stay on our trip. (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&view=text&gl=us&q=lodging+near+four+corners,+twin+rocks,+utah&ie=UTF8&hl=en&sll=39.115180,-111.468730&sspn=5.058257,5.101895&latlng=664533844984828391&ei=F-NtSrzHIIi69QSBys3cBw&cd=3&usq=lodging+near+four+corners,+twin+rocks). This is a great place virtually right on the Colorado River that runs fast with a thick muddy look back behind the lodge. The rooms are nothing to get excited about, but the location is and there is not a lot around besides this lodge. We had dinner at the nearby Twin Rocks Cafe (http://www.twinrockscafe.com/) which offered decent food, but the service was lacking (bigtime). Again, though, the view was awesome.