Four States Meet and Greet
Growing up, I lived on a street that straddled a town line. Being easily amused (in my youth, I mean) I would find great joy in being able to stand in TWO TOWNS AT ONCE! OH MY GOD! MY BODY IS BEING SPLIT BY AN ARBITRARY AND INVISIBLE LINE! In any case, now that I’m older, it takes much more to amuse me, something like, say, STANDING IN FOUR STATES AT ONCE! AWESOME! MY BODY IS BEING SPLIT MY MULTIPLE ARBITRARY AND INVISIBLE LINES! So it’s been reported to me by several sources (including my father and NPR) that surveyors are claiming that the “actual” location of the four corners is 2.5 miles away from where the monument is, due to faulty surveying back in 1868. (The monument was placed in 1875, I believe). Normally I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but I call BS on this one. For those of you who have never been to the four corners, let me tell you that it is a haul, and there’s no easy way to get there. Once you do get there, you have to pay a fee to enter, and then of course you have to buy a bunch of tchotchkes after taking your obligatory I’M IN FOUR STATES pictures. So, this whole “four corners is 2.5 miles away” is just a feeble attempt to lure tourists out in a recession to reclaim their dollars, while doubling as a ruse to trick us into going back to Utah. Just kidding, we’ll be visiting Utah again later anyway. Maybe during the Nevada trip.
Things of note from our trip to four corners:
There was an adorable Mennonite couple in front of us in line (you have to wait your turn to touch the four states) in full regalia (bonnets, stockings, etc), but oddly they had a much better camera than we did. I know because they asked us to take their picture. I’m guessing they’re not Old Order Mennonites, because a horse and buggy would not have cut it, travel wise. (Also, did you know there are many different orders of Mennonites? There are! Another job for wikipedia!)
Being the funniest people we know, we made signs to bring to our photo shoot. Some expressed our deep love for diet coke, others implied that we were bored, and the one pictured is a shout out to my Dad, who was concerned that we’d run into bandits (not to be confused with outlaws) while traveling through the New Mexico desert. While we did run into many odd folks on our journey, I don’t think any could be considered bandits.
OH MY GOD, LIZZIE'S IN FOUR STATES AND HER PURSE IS IN TWO!
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