Day 21 of our 30-day Southwest Grand Circle Caravan – Travel from Bluff UT to Mancos CO

Our travel to Mancos Colorado is only 83 miles, so we did not depart until 10am … that drew all most as many cheers as root beer floats does!

We were all ready early, including the assistant Wagonmaster, Rascal … he was just waiting patiently on the dash for the “wagons ho” shout out! It is hard to believe that 25 days ago, he was a non-socialized rescue puppy. Now, he loves to be with people!

PIC 6245 When we departed Cottonwood RV Park, the owner Nancy, was there to wave good-bye to all of us! She was a great campground manager, café manager and tour guide! 

We headed east on Route 191 and back into the town of Bluff. There are several businesses in Bluff with the name “Twin Rocks” and I finally figured out why … see the twin rocks?

At the edge of Bluff, we turned southeast onto Route 162 and went past Cow Canyon Trading Post. It has interesting wild colored signs and old cars. But it was never open, when we drove by.

On Route 162, there were some errant sheep by side of road. Not sure where they came from, but we have seen open range for cattle and horses, but not sheep! Thanks for the picture, Nancy ... I was not ready with my camera! 

We followed the banks of the San Juan River on our left and there were some awesome rock formations with reds, greens and tans. These color combinations are my favorite so far!

The first town we went through was Montezuma Creek. It is located on the Navajo Reservation at an elevation of 4300 feet. The area was annexed to the Navajo Reservation in the 1950s in exchange for Tribal land where Page, Arizona is now located. That land would ultimately be covered by Lake Powell. Oil was discovered near the community in the 1950s, and today the nearby Aneth Oil Field is still producing. The community boasts a swimming pool and lighted sports field. Montezuma Creek has an estimated population of 1,500. Whitehorse High School is located in Montezuma Creek and is home to the Whitehorse Raiders. The class of 2016, left their mark by creating a W on the hill behind the school!

Montezuma Well Service is also in Montezuma Creek, it was the largest business we could see. I assumed that it was a well service for water, not in this area, it is a well service for the oil rigs we see dotted across the landscape.

Our next town and last town in Utah was Aneth, or 'just like the devil' in Navajo. The Navajo people used that phrase to describe the business practices of the community's first white trader. The name stuck. The Aneth Oil Field is still one of the major producing fields in the western US Geology in this area is remarkably exposed, revealing colors that vary from mauve and purple to beige and gray. You may see traditional Navajo hogans (ho'gone) or shade houses. Aneth is a Navajo Chapter Headquarters. Chapters are equivalent to city or county government. Land, although owned collectively, is considered private. 

Crossing from Utah into Colorado, was not as spectacular as it is, if you are on an Interstate when you cross the border. But heading into another state on our adventure is a milestone. Actually. we were in all four states that we are touring on this caravan, while we were at Four Corners Monument! Utah Route 162 changes to Colorado State Route 41, once we got into Colorado.

The other day, when we went to the Four Corners Monument, we turned southwest onto Colorado SR 160, today we turned northeast, heading toward Cortez. It is amazing how the scenery has changed again, the rock formation are fewer and more rolling hills and mountains covered with green. All of the landscapes we have seen on this caravan adventure have been awesome!

Not the greatest picture, but I don't have an app on my phone to capture a picture of the current temperature and location. Here we are traveling in Colorado, heading toward the Ute Mountain Travel Center and it is 66 degrees, during the late morning, it is  the coolest daytime temperature we have had! Even with the rain, the cooler temperatures is a welcome diversion from the much warmer temperatures!

Yes, the threatening clouds we have been seeing finally produced rain. Rain during the daylight hours is not something we have had much of the first 20 days of our adventure. We have had a couple of nighttime showers, in this area of the country at this time of the year, they call them monsoons. Monsoons invites a whole different picture. I will stick with calling it rain!

Even with the overcast skies, low cloud cover and the rain, the views are still spectacular. Here is one of the few rock formations we have seen since entering Colorado. It was just outside of Towaco. Towaoc is the capital of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, replacing a tribal headquarters at Aztec Springs. It is located east of Sleeping Ute Mountain, a sacred mountain of the Ute people

Old Towaoc, located at the base of Ute Mountain, and includes various tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs governmental buildings and housing areas, including the tribal offices of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. In recent years, a small complex has been developed directly on US Highway 491-160 at the junction of the road into the original town. This includes the Ute Mountain Casino, Hotel & Resort, with a travel center. This was our gas & rest stop at Ute Mountain Travel Stop, on the Navajo reservation gas was $2.189 and Diesel was $2.049. 

After our rest stop we pushed onto Cortez Colorado, which is a large town and home to some awesome views of the mountains. I am sure these peaks, and a bit more, are snow capped in the winter!








Cortez is also home to something we have not seen in quite a while .... Walmart! Not that some of us have missed it! But, we have been shopping at small Mom & Pop places. Moab, was the first place that offered us a real grocery store in a number of stops!

 Cortez also had a large selection of resturants. There was Mexican, Thai, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and American. This place caught my eye. One reason was the oversized piece of beef out front, the second was the color of the sign and the name. Anything with purple in the name and on thier sign can not be all bad! Just a little something for all my purple loving friends! The Purple Sage Restaurant.

Again, I can't say enough about these views ... different, but just as spectacular! I am really liking the low clouds into the top of the mountains.

We passed by the County Fairgrounds and quickly learned that the Montezuma County Fair is on while we are here! It is on already and the interesting part is ... no ride vendor. Wow! What do they do to entertain the kids? 

They offered many of the same events we do in 4-H and open classes, some of the more western or unique events include: 4-H .22 Rifle Shoot; Muzzle Loading; a Family Gymkhana (family themed rodeo events such as a rawhide race and a baton race); Shotgun Shoot; 4-H Archery Shoot; 4-H Rocket Launch; IFA Chicken Chase; Largest Squash Contest; 4-H Arm Wrestling; 4-H Tug of War; Mud volleyball; Calf Scramble; Corn Shucking Contest; a Jalapeno Eating Contest, as well as a Chili & Salsa Contest; Fair Royalty Modeling, Interview and Speech Contest. 

Their main events include: Two nights of Car Races with Lawnmower races at intermission; Rodeo; Walk-in Movie Night; Music Festival with the ‘High Rollers’ in Concert; and a Demolition Derby the last night. They held their 1st annual Tractor Show and Pull, but it was during the day and not at night. They also held their 2nd Annual Motorcycle show.

Passed the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park and the spectacular views.

Arrived at Mesa Verde RV Park, our home for the next three nights.

This is a metal sculpture that is located on the road at the entrance to the campground. The campground is less than 1 mile form the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. Our wagonmaster does an exceptional job in getting the campgrounds closest to the main attraction of that particular leg of the adventure!