Seeing Todd again...

Instead of Monument Valley I decide to see Four Corners Monument. This is the place where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. An Navajo Indian tribal place with some-kind of an monument that points into the 4 States. I pay 3 bucks to get in, park and run for the restrooms first. Then I call my old buddy, Todd Williams, in Santa Fe. Update him on my travel plans so he knows that I won't make it today to see him. Then I needed to eat some lunch, more of the same I've been eating since I'm on the road, salami, cheese, tomatoes, chips, bread, and other things. I also wanted to make myself a cup of coffee because I'm way past due in that program, just as I have set-up my stove, prepped the coffee-maker and all was really hot, the lady from the park comes by to tell me that they are closing the gates now and I better move fast otherwise I be camping here tonight. Not a chance, and so I run over to the monument I haven't really seen yet because I wanted to take my time. Now I'm just flying over all the stuff and take some half-ass pictures of a place I might never get to see again. basically its a flat concrete circle divided into 4 pieces, the names of the States are engraved and a bunch of flag-poles. Nothing too spectacular but still I would have liked to spend a bit more time there. I finish making my coffee outside the closed gate before I head back on 160 to the 64 junction, there is the indian-community Teec Nos Pos and a few miles down the road I slip into New Mexico.

Kayenta, Four Corners and something is smoke'n...


I'm now 1355 miles away from home, on about 5000 ft elevation, the weather is sunny, mild temperatures, and a hell of a plum of smoke rising into the sky, way far in the east from here.
At 10 minutes past 6 I drive through the town of Shiprock, this town got the name because of a nearby mountain that does look like a bow if a huge ship, see for yourself.

Shiprock, AZ and it's mountain... in this picture I'm still 20 to 30 miles away from the town, the house in the front is a "Hogan" a Navajo home in the modern style, zoomed in, it look like the mountain is right behind the house... but no!!!


I stop in town for a few pictures. Here is where the source of the smoke is, a big area of brush along a dried-out riverbed is on fire, I hope it is under control because the air here is thick with smoke and the plum is spread far.

Mile 1378, The town of Shiprock, New Mexico, where the brushfire is raging...


In Bloomfield I leave 64 and continue on 550. Route 550 is just like a freeway, 2 lanes in each direction but no exits and entries like a freeway, but fast traveling and I don't mind that now since the sun has gone and it only is getting darker. In Negeezi, I fill-up the tank with gas and my commuter-mug with hot water for tea, and onwards.

Gassing-up in Negeezi, NM...


At quarter to nine I roll into Cuba, check into the Frontier Motel and work on the computer until past 3 in the morning... don't ask!!! But their internet was working even in the motel-room, what a luxury.
The first time I was here in Cuba was with Markus Gasser, a friend from Switzerland, in November of 1993, we left Todd's place and spend the first night in Cuba on the way back to Berkeley. Since then I've driven through it 2 more times.
I don't remember how I wake up, but by quarter to eleven I'm all packed-up ate some muessly for breakfast sipped some tea and already took some more pictures. Of corse more time on the computer. I drive all the way to the other side of town to take a picture of this great looking Dinner sign. I remember one the time I took pictures of that sign I had my first digital camera, a Epson such-nd-such, I was almost out of memory, those days I didn't wanted to spend a fortune on a 512 mega-bite memory-card and so I only had a 124 and I had to take pictures in pretty low resolutions. Now that a 4 giga-bite card cost a mere 24 bucks I have a few of them with me, and a camera that uses 10 mega-pixels every time you press the button, I do have mine set for much lower resolution, but it really is no more problem taking endless amounts of pictures without worrying to run out of memoy, it's just a battery question now!!!

Cuba, NM...


I make a U-turn at the end of town and retrace my route from yesterday for about 4 miles to the turn-off to 96. Now I'm back on a tiny country road, passing through, Regina, Galina, Coyote and Yongsville before it connects to 84. Right before that junction is a big reservoir, the Abiquiu river is damed here and 96 uses the dam as the road. A bunch of cows are grazing along the roadway and I send em a little yodel. After all they do look like the cows we have in Switzerland, white-brown, it is a real fun bunch...

Lost Swiss cows, Abiquiu Reservoir and some kind of Pussy Express... hm, could use one by now, but instead crossing the Rio Grande!!!


84 goes through the town of Abiquiu, then Medanales to Espanola where 84 and 285 have merged and the road is like a freeway again. It's called El Camino Real and it gets me all the way to Santa Fe. Todd's house is at the other end of town, on a dead end street away from the hustle and bustle of tourists and locals. A nice simple adobe house almost surrounded by fields.
Great to see Todd again, the last time I stopped at his place was exactly 2 years ago for the same reason, get to Lafayette Louisiana for the Cycle Zydeco bike-ride.
It's 3 o'clock, I got 1637 miles behind me since I left Berkeley, I'm ready to kick back for a few days here...

Todd William's Ranch...