The Road to New Mexico

We enjoyed the brief time we were in Colorado. That is a state we would have liked to explore a little more. But the road south only had us venturing into the very southeast corner so we missed many scenic areas of Colorado.

Four Corners
We were entering the area known as Four Corners. It is called this because it is the only area in the United States where four states square up perfectly next to each other.

When you think about it, there must be a single definitive point somewhere out there where all four states come together. Somewhere on some property. If you found it, then technically you could stand with one leg in one state, the other leg in a different state and if you were very ambitious you could put one hand in a third state and the other hand in another state. You could physically be in all four states at one time.

We were determined to find this place where all four state corners met...

...and we did!

This is not the best picture, but the center of those four lines is the exact point where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. You can see the names of each state at each corner.

Well, Nicki couldn't resist trying to be in all four states at once. I took this picture while standing in Colorado and while Nicki had a dedicated limb in each state.

Frybread
All that fun with US States sure makes a person hungry, so we spotted some Navajo frybread. There is a large Navajo presence in the Four Corners area. We were able to talk to many Navajo and check out some of their interesting indigenous art and items.

We were a bit hungry and wanted to try some local frybread.

As the sign pointed out, you can get powdered sugar, cinnamon, or honey. Hmm...too many choices.

Not only was the frybread shaped like a pizza, but we ended up going through the same pizza-decision process. This is where multiple people are forced to come to a unanimous decision on what sort of pizza they will share. If an agreement is not reached, you can sometimes pull a Wise King Solomon. This is where the pizza is split in half with very different toppings on each side.

This worked for us and we ordered half powdered sugar and half cinnamon.

I must say that this Navajo frybread was quite tasty. Light and flaky and extremely palatable. I don't think it would score too many points with Weight Watchers, but I question whether anyone could resist eating this delightful snack if it was set before them.

Arizona
The road to Mexico allowed us to jump over into Arizona for a brief time.

As you can see from the sign, Arizona played it safe. They went for the obvious. While not so creative and a bit ho-hum, it was a reasonable move to highlight The Grand Canyon.

In fact, they went so far as to call themselves the Grand Canyon state. A safe no risk strategy. I on the other hand, thought up a few more creative, risky strategies. I think these might work:

• Arizona: More snowbirds than real birds.


• Arizona: We've got this really big ditch that you gotta see.


• Arizona: If you see a howling coyote wearing a neckerchief, let us know because we only have little statues of them and haven't really seen a real one.


• Arizona: That cactus isn't waving at you. It's just shaped like that. But it wants a hug. Go on.

The road became very dry and desert-ish, but we still enjoyed the views.

New Mexico
Hooray we finally made it to Mexico!

Oh wait, let's start over....

Hooray we finally made it to New Mexico!

Did you notice the little something special that New Mexico added to it's welcome sign? Land of Enchantment...

Initially I was pretty excited about visiting a Land of Enchantment. I expected to be greeted by elves perhaps. But the desert landscape seemed an odd fit for an enchanted land.

So then my excitement turned to bitter disillusionment. This was not a good idea. To be so bold as to say that their state is the equivalent to some sort of far-off storytelling fairy land is a bit of a stretch and can only disappoint.

Then a thought struck me that seemed to melt my disillusionment away. It all made sense. Since enchanted lands are a thing of fiction, the common person would probably understand that New Mexico is stating this metaphorically. Well, this changes everything.

Now this slogan is quite brilliant. You can't lose. You can associate anything fun you do as having an enchanted time, metaphorically. A child could slide once down a slide in New Mexico and remember the time he had as enchanted. A metal detector enthusiast could find an old chunk of metal in the desert and remember his time in New Mexico as enchanted.

What have I learned from all of this? Now I understood the mind of marketing New Mexico. You can't lose with this one. I'm sure I'm going to enjoy whatever sights I see in New Mexico. It's going to be an enchanting time. Plus I can't wait to see a unicorn.