Fourth of July. I was really, really dreading today. I hate being away from friends and family on holidays and we are known for having some pretty epic Fourth of Julys. There was the year Zak invented Bum (beer + rum), the year he accidentally set the dumpster behind the police department on fire during the little leave tournament, and the year he went *almost* skinny dipping in a friend’s pool. There was the year we watched previous year’s hot dog eating competitions with my parents, that was a really fun one. Last year was another epic celebration with our neighbors and red, white, and blue sangria. I was so worried I’d be so bummed to be missing out on all the fun at home, but we ended up having such a delightful day.
The NPS site of the day was Aztec Ruins NM, of absolutely no relation to the Aztecs. Some explorer was really confused and obviously not checking his GPS when he found it, it’s not really all that close to where the Aztecs set up their empire. Regardless of the unrelated name, the site is phenomenal. The most impressive feature is a reconstructed kiva, the largest one we’ve ever seen. After watching a short movie, we went to a ranger led program in the kiva. We learned even more about the construction and functionality of the spiritual center of the community. After the program, we got to go in part of the pueblo that had not been reconstructed, yet was in amazing condition. We worked our way though a series of super small rooms, ducking through the doorways, admiring the original masonry, and imaging a very different life than ours. It was a well worth it stop and a good way to think about the roots of our nation.
We then, slowly, on tiny roads, made our way out of New Mexico and into Colorado. We stopped and lingered at the Mancos Brewery for lunch and some blueberry huckleberry pie. After wandering through the downtown, we headed toward Cortez and spent the afternoon swimming. We found a Mexican spot for dinner and then headed to the Cortez firework show. I’m surprised they held the show with the high fire threat in the area, but all the surrounding town canceled theirs and they all must of pooled resources. It was the best fireworks any of us have ever seen. Hand down. The best.
Although being home would of guaranteed a fun-filled day, we really had a great time exploring, relaxing, and being together.
