Friday, June 17, 2022
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, Shiprock, Bluff City
Back to the desolate Bisti Badlands this morning for a second hike, this time in the north wash, aka Hunter Wash Cristi, aka the Bisti Wings Trail. Unfortunately, we didn't get a very early start, and it was after 11:00 by the time we hit the trail. It was a deceptively reasonable 87 degrees when we started out, but with the sun directly overhead, it was like walking into a pizza oven. Nevertheless, we persisted!
Bisti Badlands north wash
Strange sandstone
There were a lot of strange formations on this hike, but neither of us was quite as impressed as we were last night. In retrospect, a lot of that probably had to do with our baking brains, because when I look back at today's photos, they're just as good as yesterday's!
Hoodoos topped with petrified wood
Hike of many hoodoos
Tom on the surface of the sun
Returning to our truck after an hour and a half, we'd hiked 2.9 miles. It would have taken us even longer with shade breaks, IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY SHADE. Still, we came prepared and never ran out of beverages. Not surprisingly given the circumstances, we didn't see another soul during the hike.
Stone wings
One last Bisti photo
From Bisti, we headed to Shiprock, a distinct rock formation rising 1,583 feet above the desert plain and the most prominent landmark in New Mexico. Shiprock is named for its resemblance to a 19th Century clipper ship. Leading to the formation is a long, fin-like promontory known as Shiprock Dike.
Approaching Shiprock
Shiprock Dike
Shiprock sits on land owned by the Navajo Nation and can be reached via a very rough track, but the rock is considered sacred by the Navajo people, and they'd prefer you stay away. We chose not to drive all the way to the rock and found the best view from the intersection of Indian Service Routes 13 and 5010, just off Highway 491.
Shiprock
From Shiprock, we continued toward the spot around which our vacation is centered, the point where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet. This geographic quadripoint is marked by the Four Corners Monument, a Navajo Tribal Park. We skipped the monument, but in the course of a few minutes drove through the corners of all four states.
Bluff, Utah, is a teeny tiny town of 320 residents. The only reason we made hotel reservations here was Bluff's proximity to tomorrow's first stop. I knew nothing about the town other than its small size and its location in the middle of nowhere; thus, I had very low expectations. But what a nice surprise. We LOVED it!
Arriving in Bluff, Utah
Navajo Twin Rocks
Bluff may be small, but its setting is striking! After relaxing in our motel for an hour or so, we ventured back out into the hills around town looking at the cool landscape. I don't know what people do here other than look at the bluffs, but it sure was a good place to spend the night.
Colorful bluffs of Bluff
Pinnacles aplenty
Stunning stone
As you might imagine, there aren't a lot of restaurants in Bluff, but the Comb Ridge Eat & Drink was great. We had burgers and a Utah craft brew called Polygamy Porter. Ha! Everything was delicious. The service was good even though apparently they were short-staffed. Our waitress told us if we wanted to move to town, we were hired.
Bluff City Park
Strange park sculpture
Sculpture outside the restaurant
For Friday-night fun in Bluff, we drove four miles west of town to the Sand Island boat launch, where rafters begin overnight trips on the San Juan River. We watched a few folks readying their gear for an early morning start tomorrow, until we ran out of daylight and returned to our hotel.
San Juan River
Lodging: Mokee Motel, Bluff, Utah. A little mom-and-pop with a clean room and comfy bed. No frills, and the checkout time was early at 10:00 a.m., but we liked it.
Tonight's small-town lodging
Side note: During our short stay in Bluff, we crossed paths with a cross-country bicycling race called Race Across America. We noticed the first riders just before we got to town at about 4:30 and continued to see them trickling by late into the night. Better them than us. It's steep around here and they looked miserable. Later, I found out that the top finishers rode from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland, over three major mountain ranges and more than 3,000 miles, in just over 10 days.
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