Today I drove 275 miles traveling from Chinle, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico.
I am spending the night at TownePlace Suites in Gallup, New Mexico.
I have a studio suite with one king bed.
|
Howdy folks, I spent most of today visiting places within the Navajo Nation. I began my day by driving 100 miles northeast of Chinle to the Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park. When I got there a line of cars about fifteen deep was waiting to get in. The line didn't move at all. Each car had to pay the entry fee. Why that took so long I have no idea but I ended up waiting forty minutes to get in. The gentlemen in the picture below are standing where the four states meet. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.  This is the only point in the United States shared by four states. The monument also marks the boundary between two semi-autonomous Native American governments, the Navajo Nation, which maintains the monument as a tourist attraction, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation. Below is a closer look at the magic spot.  It was probably very silly of me to drive 200 miles out of my way to visit here. But like I said before, I'll do almost anything for a picture. When I left there wasn't a single person coming in. I must have picked the worst possible time to arrive. Next I drove 135 miles south of the monument. I bounced back and fourth between Arizona and New Mexico several times today. During this part of my drive I pretty much circled Shiprock. Shiprock is a monadnock rising nearly 1,583 feet above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Its peak elevation is 7,177 feet. It is about 11 miles southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peak.  I was heading for Window Rock, Arizona. Which is the capitol of the Navajo Nation.  This small park features the graceful red sandstone arch for which the capital is named Tseghehoodzani (Window Rock). It is located just a few feet north of the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice-President building, the Navajo Nation Council Chambers, and other administrative offices. There must be an election coming up because I saw some campaign commercials on tv.  There is also a Veteran's Memorial here, this is also at the base of Window Rock to honor the many Navajos who served in the U.S. military. Many Navajo soldiers are recognized in the annals of history for their role as Code Talkers, whereby they used the native Dine language to create a code that was never broken by the enemy.  This was my final stop in Arizona. It's east bound from here. I made it out of Arizona but not by much. I'm spending the night in Gallup, New Mexico which is only 20 miles east of the Arizona border.  My brothers are probably the only ones who know why I would visit the airport here. Below is a picture of the terminal.  I continued into town after my airport photo ops. Below is a picture of the Court House.  Gallup is another Route 66 town that caters to the traveler. Its neon lit motel row had all the accommodations a tourist could hope for.  About four miles down Route 66 from where the above photo was taken, I checked into the TownePlace Suites Hotel. I have a very nice studio suite overlooking Interstate 40. I got my dinner tonight from Sizzler. Their Gallup restaurant is now as far east as they go.  Happy trails, Tim |
Covers 275 miles from Chinle, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
| TIM'S HOME PAGE SITE INDEX | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Areas | Description | # of Pages | |
| About Me | Current Picture of me and my home. Information about myself. | 2 | |
| Biography | Pictorial biography of myself. Pictures range from birth to adulthood. | 4 | |
| Family File | Pictures of my family and a little information about them. | 12 | |
| Local Spotlight | Pictures, Links, and Information for Indianapolis, Richmond, Plainfield, and Mooresville, Indiana. | 5 | |
| Tim's Travels | Pictures, videos and travelogs from my travels around the world. | 409 | |
| Vacation Videos | Over 1500 videos from my travels around the world. | 1 | |
 |  |  | |