We thought we were leaving the Grand Canyon, but it didnt end. We were going east, towards the Four Corners, on rte 64. We kept seeing turnouts for views, and like moths to a flame, pulled over to take yet more pictures of the layered, colored rocks. There were a few, Lipan point, Moran point, Grandview point, that gave a 270 degree view of the canyon.

Still breathtaking. We stopped at the Watchtower because i kept seeing the image on souvenirs, but never saw the tower in person. There it was, the last turnout on the eastern section of the park.

Once we left there, the chasm basically disappeared. The landscape beyond the park exit didnt even show much evidence of the astounding canyon wed just left.

After a few miles there were mini canyons, and parts of the Little Colorado river we could see.

Then it became all desert.

I did see a few groups of wild horses grazing.

We headed to the Four Corners, where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico all meet.

It is on Navajo land, and costs $8 to see. The plaque in the ground is surrounded by a square of kiosks offering Indian made crafts. To day it was sparsely attended, many offering jewelry. There were some nice paintings that tempted us.

Then we continued through reservations to Shiprock, both the town and the rock.

And then on to Durango. Once again we got too distracted by natural wonders to make it to our hotel before dark. This time it was only about a half hour of darkness. Our room is great, with a balcony overlooking the river! AND we didn’t have to walk very far or up stairs to get to it.