The states of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico all meet 50 km from Shiprock. Stefan had told me of an ill-fated field trip to the Four Corners monument years before. It sounded like a tourist trap, and being a tourist, I felt its allure.
The monument stands in the middle of the desert, and is remarkable only because of the political boundaries it establishes. If not for the monument, it would be impossible to tell that site apart from any other dried up juniper bush within a ten kilometre radius.
I paid the admission price to enter an area surrounded by Navajo craft vendors. In the centre, five plaques on the concrete floor indicate the four states and the exact point where they meet. I am still not convinced that the actual intersection of state borders is not, say, 10 metres North, but it hardly matters. People line up to take pictures of their companions standing with a foot or a hand in each state.
The Navajo vendors sell some remarkable items among the typical dreamcatchers and turquoise jewelry. I bought an exquisite hand-crafted arrow, and tried not to succumb to spending $40 US on a small piece of finely detailed pottery. Two of the vendors suggested that I visit the Valley of the Gods and Muley's Point, about 100 km Northwest of where we stood. I had never heard of either, but they convinced me to take a look.
