Three Parks, Four Corners and a Drive-In Movie Theater

Let’s Try This Again

It’s crazy to think of how much eleven days on the road has changed me. It was back then in Grand Junction, Colorado, that I planned-out a day that would hit four national parks, including Arches and Canyonlands. It was missing-out on those parks that made me want to come back through this area on the way home. And, here I was, waking-up in Green River, Utah, before the crack of dawn to pack, load and make my way back down to those parks.

Back To Canyonlands National Park

This part felt familiar because, well, it was familiar. The first part was heading south on Route 191, then I head west on Route 313, passing my old friend Monitor and Merrimac on the way. The clouds were breaking-up by the time I got to the entrance of the park. I’m not sure how it came up–it was probably me that mentioned trying to hit the park before and that I was headed to Arches next–but the ranger at the entrance suggested that if I wanted to hit both parks today, then I should probably turn around and goto Arches first, because it would fill-up immediately, while Canyonlands probably wouldn’t run into the problem.

It made me feel kind of sad for the guy, I mean, he’s the ranger at a great national park and he’s basically saying, “Yeah… you should probably go there instead because it’s SUPER popular, unlike this one…” The thought of being locked-out again after coming back really put the fear into me, so I hit the visitor center and bought my pin (AND an Arches pin because they were available and it would save me having to stop at their visitor center), then walked-out to the Shafer Canyon overlook.

The view floored me, instantly filling me with regret that I was going to skip out on it so easily. To be fair, though, Canyonlands is H-U-G-E and deserves a day of its own to explore. That’s what I told myself as I packed-up and headed back towards Arches: I’ll be back some day, specifically to see this park. And, I believe myself.

Arches National Park: Made It!

All that being said, I get admitted to Arches National Park felt like a real accomplishment. I think I got through the gates around 9:00 AM or so and there was already a massive line. After checking-out the map in the brochure, I made a bee line to the Window Section which looked like the closest arch-related area. The weather was chaotic at this point: partly cloudy, partly cloudy with rain, dark clouds moving in, partly cloudy, mostly sunny.

When I found a parking spot, I headed for the Windows Section because it included a short, primitive trail that circled the North and South Windows. I have to admit, the arches are pretty damned impressive. You see pictures of them and think, “Yeah, that’s pretty cool I guess.” but seeing arches of rock like that and trying to imagine the forces and unfathomably long durations of time that were required to created them, it’s humbling. I was also lucky enough to see the desert blooming and caught quite a lot of cacti full of flowers.

On the way out, I stopped at the Garden of Eden which doesn’t have any arches, but does have a nice collection of phallic style pillars. Hey, that’s a pretty good combination of styles I guess, when I think about it. As I was driving out of the park, the sun had really come up which kind of bummed me out, but you know I told myself that I wouldn’t complain after getting to see Devils Tower with such great weather, so I’m not complaining here… just stating a fact.

Four Corners Monument

My final stop before heading back to Colorado (or so I thought) was to hit the Four Corners Monument where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. It hadn’t been a life long ambition or anything, but I figured a path on the way to Colorado that would get near it, so I figured why not? The drive there was my kind of drive: Nothing around but beautiful scenery. And, I got to drive on Route 666 for a while at some point which was super cool! Unfortunately, there were no signs or else I’d have a picture below of me next to one.

While I’ve read a bit of negative opinions on the monument itself, I thought it was great. Sure, there isn’t much to it and a lot of it revolves around the locals selling their wares in the stalls that ring the point of interest, but there was an interesting, human element I got to witness there: People being courteous to one another. There are no lines or anything like that, just four observation platforms overlooking the point on the ground marking where the borders intersect. Each group of people gets their time on the spot, posing, taking pictures, etc. and then they move on and the next group takes their turn. Everyone’s having a good time, offering to take pictures for one another. I don’t know, it’s a simple thing, but it was an endearing moment for me and humanity in general.

On the way out, I walked pasted the different people selling various items at their stalls, looking for postcards and a pin. At the very last stall, I found both, which was a relief. That was a wrap. Now I was off to my last stop of the trip.

And Then… Mesa Verde National Park

It’s hard for me to believe this happened, but it did. I’m making my way to my destination of Monte Vista, Colorado, which is relatively short drive from Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, when I see signs for “Mesa Verde National Park” and I think, “Well, hell yes I’m going to check this out!” because that’s the mode I’ve been in the entire trip. Things got better after I entered the visitors center and discovered that THIS was the place with all the cliff dwellings! I’d seen pictures of these in textbooks and encyclopedias since I was a little kid.

But, now I had a decision to make: Do I actually dive into this park or do I collect a pin and move along. The former would mean a 2+ hour detour, which also means I’m once again unpacking into a motel room at 9 o’clock at night, while the latter means I can have a relatively relaxing evening documenting the day and catching a drive-in movie from my room (more on this later).

Fortunately, I couldn’t with a clear conscience opt for the latter and I took the time to drive into the park and see some amazing stuff. The fact is that the park is rather large and it’s about a 45-minute drive just to GET to the good stuff. That being said, the drive was beautiful as it had snowed recently and the payoff was worth it. Like I said, I’d seen pictures of Cliff Palace for my entire life. To stand above it and see it with my own eyes in context was priceless. The moment was also special because honestly I felt proud of myself for being somewhat spontaneous and not just sticking to a plan. It felt like another watershed moment in my life.

Motel or a Drive-In Movie Theater: Why Not Both?!?

One thing I hadn’t expected was that I’d be crossing the Continental Divide again, this time at freaking night. Honestly, I think I thought I was driving south of it for some reason, but no I had to drive through it and it was snowing again and this time it was dark and it sucked because I’d been driving for about twelve hours and all I wanted at this point was to drink beer and whiskey while I unpacked.

Finally, I got to Monte Vista which is home to the (in my mind anyway) legendary Movie Manor! Movie Manor is a motel in which each room has a wall of windows that face two drive-in movie theater screens. In the room, there are switches to play the audio from one of the screens. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. The movies that were playing this night were “Detective Pikachu” and “Avengers: Endgame”. Unfortunately, because of my detour to Mesa Verde National Park, the former movie was halfway through and I was not going to be able to stay up for the latter, but it was still cool leaving the windows open and seeing the view.

And, the best part of it all was that I got to stay in the “Danny DeVito Room”! Yep, all the rooms at Movie Manor are named after famous actors, like Steven Seagal, Kirk Douglas and Danny DeVito. I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in any other room that this one. My only regret is that I didn’t have any sausages to eat out of my shirt’s front pocket. So that was the day. After some beer and whiskey, I hit the sack, dreading the fact that tomorrow was going to be my last adventurous day of my trip.