Day 12 - Wednesday

For the second time in two weeks we are in a location where there is flash flood warning's!! We started out with a little drive through Durango, Colorado up through Main Street which is pretty cool. Then on up north on to what they now call the Million Dollar highway. It was built back in 1881 at a cost of $10,000 per mile!! It was originally a toll road. The fellow that built the road charged five dollars per wagon to across the pass. In the beginning it didn't seem like much but as we got closer to Silverton, the mountains got taller and more jagged. It must have been quite a feat back then to construct this road. As we climbed through the mountain pass I noticed a shake in the steering wheel. Something wasn't right!! So off to the only tire shop in Silverton. Not much of a tire shop but he does it all. Pulls off the wheel and tells me that it's out of balance but he can't fix it. So up the road we go to Montrose. Pulling up to the tire shop and all the tire junkies come out to take a look. Pulling off the tire and throwing it on the balance machine I see...A bent rim!!! Thank you New Mexico for the pothole at which I hit doing Mach Chicken being chased by the Dodge Truck!! You cost a front rim!! So off to the Chevy dealership to get a price. Not really a good price, $800 bucks and 5 days to get it from Ontario. So since our timeline does not allow us to wait I guess onward we go! I did find out leaving Colorado and entering Utah that at 100 mph there is no shake!! So I guess I have found a temporary solution. We pulled into a cute little town of Vernal Utah. I have never seen so many flowers along a Main Street ever. Huge beautiful flowers line the street. Amazing!!! Mike now has the name of Fred Flintstone! You should see the ribs he had for dinner. We are in dinosaur country!!

Day 11 - Tuesday

Well this post will be a little different than others.  I'm going to let the pictures do the talking!! But I do want you all to know that this place is absolutely phenomenal and should be a must see for everyone!!

Some facts:

Built in 500-1100 AD, lived in until 1200, sat abandoned for 600yrs until 2 cowboy found them in December 1888.  600 dwellings exist with only 5 open to the public

Mesa Verde National Park

Such an amazing day!! To stop and think about what those people did to build those houses. The hard work ,dedication and true determination!!

On to Durango for a quick look and then we better get on our way back home!!

Problems with Blog

Update coming later today

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Some pictures were missed

Day 10 - Monday

We decided to sleep in a little bit, if you want to call 8 AMsleeping in?  Our main destination today will be Four Corners!! I'll explain later. During breakfast the steam engine blew it's whistle trying to entice travellers to take the train up through the mountains. We thought about it. Then we started doing some calculations on the time that it will take to get home and at this point our options are limited!! Unfortunately!!! So after taking a few pictures of the steam engine as it left town we headed through yet another mountain pass to Aztec, NM. The main tourist attraction here is the Aztec ruins. Where the Aztec people lived here 1000 years ago!! This ancient archeological site is phenomenal!! The ingenuity and insight that went into this place is mind-boggling. How the main wall would line up exactly straight on the equinox is unimaginable. They carried stones from 5 miles and trees from 50 miles away. They continued to build this facility for 30 years and then one day for whatever reason they up and left. To this day nobody knows why?  As we headed west to Four Corners, we saw an interesting mountain in the distance, so a left turn it was!! What's a few more miles south?? As we weaved through this unique landscape we were so glad that we took the long way!! The first thing we stumbled upon was a stone wall "mountain" if you want to call it that?  Kind of a weird thing out in the middle of nowhere!! After a few pictures and a short little hike we headed west a little further into a very  unique landscape, called Arizona!! I thought we were on twisty roads before this, but wow very, very twisty hairpin 10 mile per hour curves. Oh and did I mention that we are on a Indian Reserve? I'll tell you what, they know how to drive!!!!! The 10 mph curves that I speak of, I was being pushed by a Dodge truck around these corners at 35 mph!! I could've pulled over but NO, not at this point!  Halfway down the pass, and with tears in Joanne's eyes, I unwillingly pulled over and let the Dodge go past!! After a few quiet miles we came across our main destination of the day, Four Corners!  This is the point at where four state borders meet at one point. Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. You can stand on the marker and be in four different states at one time!! Who said you can't be at two different places at the same time or four in this case?? After walking around there for a little bit we headed north up into Colorado. Cortez is where we will spend the night. Tomorrow is Mesa Verde National Park and the cliff dwellings.

























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Still going...

2746 miles
4419 kms

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Day 9 - Sunday

Wow, we have made to New Mexico!! At around 10am we entered into New Mexico!  Joanne said "It feels like were crossing the border".  Well, on this border crossing like every state line just a quick picture and on we go.  Our first destination in NM was Taos.  A small city with lots going on!  First stop, lunch, a beer, and to ask the bartender what there is to see and do.  So off the Taos Pueblo we go!  Very interesting to see and experience! The houses are made of adobe; mud sticks and straw gathered from the nearby mountains. They drink the water from the creek unfiltered and there is no power. At least 5 families still live there full time.

 Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-story adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over a 1,000 years.

The actual town of Taos was amazing too, as there are no building higher than 2 stories and the architecture is so unique. All earthtone mud shaped dwellings with flat roofs.
From Taos we drove west over the Rio Grande gorge bridge. Felt like we were in a John Wayne movie. Spectacular!!!After some quick photos we were off to see more country side. First thing we noticed were the "Earthship" homes, built with natural and recycled materials. Solar/thermal heating and cooling, water harvesting, contained sewage treatment and food production. They looked like something from another world. Over another mountain pass and on to Chama for the night.

Day 8 - Saturday

So up early this morning. On the road by 8 and off to see more of this beautiful state. First we drove up the Skyline road outside of Canon City, Colorado. It was a single lane paved road that went up and along the summit of the mountain that overlooks the city. Amazing views and a narrow lane. From there we carried on to the Royal Gorge. Its a national park with one of the highest suspension bridges in the world. First a tram ride across the gorge and then we walked back across the bridge.  The views of the rafters on the Arkansas river and the train that tours along the bottom of the gorge were spectacular. Met 2 other corvette drivers and spent some time talking cars! Watched people zip line across the gorge. Highest zip line in North America. Too much for us!! Stopped for lunch and chatted with some locals who helped us with our itinerary. Off down a long road to an old ghost town, St Elmo. Only a little hard packed gravel to deal with. It was awesome to see all the old buildings still standing since 1880. All that was there still in operation was a little gift shop. Just outside the shop were several hummingbird feeders. Never have we seen anything like it. Hummingbirds everywhere. 5-6 on a feeder at once, all fluttering around our heads making weird whistling noises. It was totally unbelievable. When it was time to go we headed south and now we are on our way to New Mexico to visit the famous Taos. Cant wait to see the people still living back in time. More about that after we see it. Tonight we are in Alamosa, Colorado.