AtDTdA: (9) 268-269

[bekah]

At 12:26 AM +0300 5/25/07, Ya Sam wrote:
>Why the
>>Four Corners?
>
>Hey, American p-listers, has anyone actually been to the Four 
>Corners? Is it much of a tourist attraction?

It's a Quadripoint!    As close as I could get.  <http://tinyurl.com/2eg5tw>

Yes,  I have been there twice  and maybe another time, too.  ?? 
The first time was in 1976 and it was considerably different,  less 
commercialized,  than it was when I went again in 1985.    The first 
time was with hubby and  two kids in a brand-new green 1976 VW van en 
route to North Dakota (via New Orleans - for some reason).   The 
second time was with hubby in a beige Toyota pick-up truck.   The 
first time we were entertaining the kids (ages 6 and 8)  but the 
second time we were reading Galapagos (a new release at the time)  to 
each other to kill the time.    It's a desert out there a long ways 
between cities and the rock formations aren't every 30 miles, 
although if you drive around like we did the first time there's a 
whole lot to see.

Four Corners <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners>  is an odd 
but popular tourist attraction.  It's on some pretty remote tribal 
land (Ute and Navajo) and in the middle of a whole lot of gorgeous 
reservation country (if you like the desert).   At the remote from 
remote site,  there is the circle set-up in the middle and then there 
are dozens of  Indian vendors in several very long open-air but 
covered selling all sorts of goodies from fry-bread and earrings to 
pottery and weavings.   The long buildings are situated around the 
circle.   (Back in 1976 the buildings weren't there and the Indians 
had a lot of make-shift tents and so on set up.  A few were more 
permanent.  There were only about a dozen if I remember.   I was sort 
of surprised and saddened by the change but it did seem better (?) 
for the locals -  if it's what they want or need.  ?

Remember the Anasazi references not too far back in the book?   The 
Anasazi were the cliff dwellers near here. 
<http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/co/4corners.htm>  Another place 
that's interesting (although NP) is Monument Valley where all those 
western movies were shot.  
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley>.    I wouldn't go 
out there just to see Four Corners but if you spend a week or so in 
Taos (yes! but quite a ways)   there's a lot to poke around in.

Bekah