Hovenweep and Four Corners with Kid

I'll tell you right now, I didn't expect driving through the Navajo Reservation to bring back so many memories, but, for better or worse, this trip was a drive down memory lane. 

We purposely planned this trip for a time when my husband could come too since we were planning to drive through the reservation to get from Hovenweep to Four Corners. One thing I did remember about living on the reservation was, if you're a woman, you don't go anywhere alone and you don't go anywhere after dark. Tourist areas are safer. 

Driving to Hovenweep, you will be far from any town, so make sure you fill up before heading out to see the amazing monument (It really is worth seeing).     

From Blanding, UT, we drove though part of the Ute reservation at White Mesa. Turning onto highway 262, it's only a short drive before you are on the Navajo reservation. While the monument itself is not on the reservation, you will drive quite a ways through it to get there.  Little did I know this drive would bring back so many memories.  First off, we had wild horses run across the highway. This is one of my favorite memories from Monument Valley.

 We also had a coyote run across our path. Coyote is an important part of Navajo mythology.

As we got closer, we found this sign pointing the way to Hovenweep. I laughed because it's so rez.

And then we were there.

For this trip we only did the main 2 mile Square Tower group.  We have been to a lot of ruins, but this was by far one of my favorite places. I highly recommend a visit.

I'd love to go back someday and hike to the further outlying ruins.

After this loop, we decided to head onto the Four Corners Monument. More rez signs pointed the way.

While driving, it was like my brain retrieved a long lost file from the "this is not important information to remember" section and sent if up to the forefront. Suddenly I remembered the tires. Tires on roof tops, stack of tires to create markers in the barren landscape, tires with designs to mark which dirt road led to whose house. (At least where we lived, there was no formal addresses.) We saw tires, hogans, horses grazing on the side of the highway, and someone with a "load of woods". (Surprisingly, no wild dogs)

"Woods"

There is a house out there

At last, we got the the Four Corner Monument which is ran by the Navajo Nation. And...

It was closed! Closed because of "inclement weather". More like, closed because someone didn't feel like opening the gate. My husband laughed and remarked that is also very much their cultural. Hours of operation are only guidelines.

This was the part of the trip my kids were looking forward to the most, so it was pretty disappointing. But I must say, it was a fascinating drive.