The Four Corners Area Has a Little Bit of Everything

We came here to Bloomfield, New Mexico last Sunday. There is real variety here.

This is called the Four Corners Area because it is the only place in the United States where four states meet. The actual point is about 60 miles from here and we drove out there yesterday.

This is in the Navajo Nation, and there are miles of wide open arid lands here. The far rock you see in this photo is Shiprock, and it is about 30 miles away.

This one is called Chimney Rock.

But there are also tree filled river flats, like this park in Farmington.

Two river meet here, the Animas…

and the San Juan; shown here along the river walk in Bloomfield.

So along with the desert flora like this cactus,

I found lilacs!

There is a variety of weather, too.

From this calm, blue skied day on Monday, when we played disc golf…

to blustery Tuesday, when we drove to Angel’s Peak. The wind was howling and the sky was filled with dust.

You can get a variety of weather in a single day, too. Just drive north, and up. Bloomfield is in the high desert at 5,456 feet above sea level.

We drove 45 miles north to Durango, Colorado. It’s also another 1100 feet up at an altitude of 6,522’. Here the Animas River doesn’t have a river flat, but hurries through town. And it was pretty cool, early spring.

We drove another 34 miles and 4,000 feet to the top of Coal Bank Pass. There was snow all around, even flurries in the air and it was 35 degrees. The next pass, Red Mountain Pass on past Silverton, was closed!

We happily returned to the high desert, where even though it was a cool day it was still 62 degrees. And if the wind isn’t blowing too hard, we can see those snowy peaks.