Day 4: Tusayan, AZ to Cortez, CO

The town of Tusayan is basically just a bunch of hotels, gas stations, and restaurants to cater to travelers to the Grand Canyon.  The kids spent some time swimming after we arrived Monday night and made a friend with a young boy from Alabama.  In the morning, we were able to enter the park bright and early at 8:10, just 10 minutes after the gates opened (since Arizona does not participate in Daylight Savings Time, they are 2 hours behind Mandan time).  We visited some of the viewing sites near the south entrance, found a gift shop, found some coffee for me, then hit the highway.  This was supposed to be a lighter driving day, but Don found a dam located north of the Grand Canyon that he wanted to see, so we backtracked a bit to tour that.  Next on the agenda was Four Corners Monument.  It was in a very desolate area (as compared to the regular desolate area we had been driving through for 2 days).  You drive up to the monument on a gravel road.  The monument area is surrounded by shacks selling Native American/Navajo artifacts.  There are outhouses.  No running water.  There was a concession stand selling Navajo tacos.

Cortez was a 45 minute drive from Four Corners.  When I checked in, the very kind clerk informed me that the outdoor pool was not in working order (it had been drained and was being re-filled).  The indoor pool referenced on their website is actually just a larger hot tub, so no swimming for the LaFleur kids this night.  This news was not received well by the 7 year old.  We walked to a yummy Mexican restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel.  Despite not having a pool, our family suite had a huge bathtub with jets.  All kids enjoyed a bath, which almost made up for no pool.

 This has to be the state bird of Arizona.  We saw these everywhere.

 Entering the visitor center of the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, AZ.  Powell Lake is made by the dam.  Don and I made all kinds of dam jokes.  The boys thought they were funny.  Megan did not.

 Four corners.

 My family spread across 4 states, and I can see them all at once.  I read somewhere that the 4 corners is not actually the geographical 4 corners.  Close enough!!!

 We did not get an Indian/Navajo taco.  A) we were saving our appetite for Mexican food in Cortez  B)  The lack of running water concerned me for sanitation health.

Mourning the pool being closed....