four corners

there are places i've always wanted to see in my life. the hills of scotland, the beauty of australia, any revolutionary and/or civil war battle field ... well, the list goes on.

i finally realized one of those experiences today.

i'm on vacation in the heart of new mexico. this morning we loaded up the suv and my grandparents, an aunt, a couple of cousins and i took a little road trip to the northwest worner of the state -- literally!

it's a four-and-a-half hour drive from albuquerque to four corners; the intersection of utah, colorado, new mexico and arizona. it's marked with a monument.

we stopped in shiprock, new mexico for lunch, just about 20 minutes prior to arriving at the monument marker.

unfortunately, we could not get on the marker itself because it's under construction and, in fact, nearly completed. i was able to get close to it and to walk around it, passing through one state, then another, then another, then back into new mexico!

the marker is maintained and upkept by navajo tribal parks. i was aware that there was a heavy native american population in the region, but was unaware that many communities consisted of up to 98 percent native american from a population standpoint.

they were very nice and welcoming. i had a chance to talk to one woman who was very knowledgeable about her region. it only made the visit that much more interesting.

when these state borders were being outlined, the caucasions and native americans faced many differences. i find it very ironic that given that, the native americans are very proud and honored that four corners is in their back yard.

needless to say, i was impressed.

~ Kassandra

note: the actual intersection of the states is located approximately two-and-a-half miles east of the actual marker. this is due rough surveying techiniques in the late 1800s. despite the discrepancy, the monument is considered the legal marker of four corners according to the unites states government.