Beautiful southern Utah scenery

We awoke on the morning of the third day and decided to head north out of Cortez to see what we could find to explore. We came to a sign pointing us toward the Anasazi Discovery Center and thought that sounded like a fun place to visit. They showed us a short film detailing the ancient civilizations which had lived in the area. With an ever growing need for water in the area the modern day residents decided to build a dam. There was a natural shaped valley that lent itself to the creation of a reservoir where a large amount of water could be stored. They began to excavate for the construction of the dam when they started to uncover a large number of indian artifacts. So they immediately called in the archeaologists and they started to search more carefully while cataloging the discoveries. As the volume of items grew, it was decided to erect a museum in the area where they could be stored and displayed for many to view. That is how the center came to be.

Now there is a beautiful reservoir that can be used for recreation as well as for better use of the water resources of the area. And on the shore is this building containing a huge number of artifacts and displays. It was very interesting to see the story that all of these items tell and to marvel at the skills they had considering the crude impements and methods that were used. Much like the people who inhabited Mesa Verde, it is felt that the site was not occupied for hundreds of years but for perhaps only a couple of hundred years. It was also interesting to hear what the modern day pueblo dwelling indians had to say about these ancestors and the link they had with them through oral geneaologies handed down through the generations. I would reccomend that anyone who is in the area stop in for a very enjoyable visit.

Once we were done there, we headed almost due west for another site called Hovenweep. There is also a national monument museum there and a number of dwellings which are built in and around a large ravine. The hike is about 1 1/2 miles around the outside rim and again it is a wonder that these sites have remained as well as they have through the years. Unlike many of the dwellings built under cliff overhangs, these were built out in the open and so the weather has had more of an effect on them. Most of them were smaller buildings scattered about rather than a large number of dwellings built together in one place.

From here we again headed west across the reservation to hook up with the main highway in the area of Blanding. Once on the highway, we headed north with the intent of staying in Monticello for the night. We were feeling hungry for a delicious hamburger and so when we came to a little drive through in Blanding we stopped and the hamburgers were both huge and delicious. We arrived in Monticello while it was still fairly early in the evening and so we decided to check into the motel and then drive on up north a ways to the Canyonlands overlook. It was worth the trip and consisted mostly of a couple of high bluffs from which you can look out over the Canyonlands proper. You can see all of the four wheeling trails that people have carved in their exploring and the Colorado river snaking it's way South towards Lake Powell. The area that has been carved out is many miles wide and runs as far as you can see both to the left and to the right. The beauty of the rugged country and the infinite variety of rock formations are part of a very desolate area and yet it is not without its unique charm and appeal. We also drove up a very beautiful but rather small canyon to a place called Newspaper rock where numerous ancient dwellers left the pictures of their lives and travels as they came through the area. It is the largest single collection of pictographs and etchings that I have ever seen. By this time it was starting to get dark and so we headed back to the motel.
As we were sitting in our room and the sun was going down, Brenda looked out our window and there was a very beautful view of the Monticello temple behind us. As we sat admiring the view a small herd of deer crossed through the plowed field as they traversed from one patch of trees to another. It was fun to watch them and they added even more appeal to the picture we saw. Another great day just traveling on the way home and catching some never before seen sights. The people come and go but the sights in this area change very little from generation to generation. Of course adventures like this are always better when you have someone to share them with. I definitely have one of the best traveling companions that I could ask for. She is always upbeat, pleasant to be around and ready for the next opportunity to hit the road and take in more sights.