A Condor Sighting

Hmph.  Leaving the North Rim of Grand Canyon was a bit sad...it was a great couple of days, and was truly beautiful.  The next time we stay in site #11 at the campground, it will definitely be for longer.  But the schedule called, and we had a long driving day ahead of us to Mancos, CO - just outside of Mesa Verde National Park.  So we were up and out by 8am.

As we descended from the plateau above the canyon, the temperature began to rise quickly.  By the time we reached the Navajo Bridge a couple of hours or so later, the thermometer read 96 degrees.  Just getting out of the truck to walk into the Visitor's Center, I was thinking I should have put sunscreen on the kids...  But our efforts were rewarded when we saw a California Condor roosting under the bridge.  When we were at the North Rim, one of the rangers mentioned that we might see one at Navajo Bridge - and we did...so cool!  Nearly extinct by the early 1980's, and down to only 22 birds in the world, there are now over 300 birds in the wild.  We didn't get to see it fly - with its 10-foot wingspan - but it was pretty cool nonetheless.

Driving on through Page, AZ, we were hoping to stop at Horseshoe Bend (where the Colorado River bends back on itself in the shape of a horseshoe), but walking the 1.5 miles in 100 degrees and no shade got voted down after we stopped...oh well, I guess that stop will have to wait until next time.  Onward to Four Corners Monument on the Navajo Reservation - where you can stretch out your four limbs, one into each of four states at the same time...Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  The kids had been looking forward to this stop since we were planning the trip - and they were both super excited.  When we arrived at the turnoff, there were cars everywhere.  Upon closer inspection, it became evident that the gate was closed and the monument closed.  Wow - sadness, disappointment, and tears came on quickly.  Really, closed?  Apparently it was "under construction," although the only evidence we saw of that was a tall chainlink fence surrounding the monument...no vehicles, no people, no workers...just a hoard of disappointed tourists outside the gate.

Oh well.  The kids are resilient and luckily they still had some M&M's left from Las Vegas - so they made up their own version of Four Corners and ate four different colored candies at the same time.  Problem solved.  From that point on, it was all downhill to our campground in Mancos.  We made it in before dinner, with just enough time to get some laundry done before it closed.  The swimming pool seemed to wash away any regrets the kids had about not getting to be in four states at once...  There are always new adventures just around the bend.  We'll just have to see what today's will bring.

 

Tracy