Cocoposts

Jerry favors the AAA “Indian Country“ map that covers parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It’s published by the Automobile Club of Southern California and still sold. About the only thing “wrong” with this map is that is can’t possibly cover all of Indian Country. Apacheria is completely outside the map area, for example.

Many many tribes and pueblos have connections to the region of southwest Colorado and southeast Utah. Author R.E. Burrillo writes about this vast landscape, referring to its “borderlands” nature where the practices and traditions of different peoples have blended “into intricate patterns seen nowhere else in the world.”

Hovenweep

The collection of ancient tower villages that make up Hovenweep National Monument straddle the Colorado – Utah border northwest of Cortez, Colorado. Ancient architects of Hovenweep constructed magnificent masonry towers at the heads of canyons over springs.

The concentration of 800 year old masonry tower structures was established as a National Monument in 1923. The monument protects five of these Ancestral Puebloan villages. The difficult roads leading to a couple of them serve to protect them as well.

Instead of taking the recommended counterclockwise drive beginning at the Canyons of the Ancients Museum, I went clockwise, west up McElmo Canyon.to the Cajon unit of Hovenweep first, after I finally found it. Signage is minimal. The roads, to the Cajon and Holly units required high clearance and minor drama of climbing up and down ledges of sandstone.

I was all alone at the Cajon ruin. It was fiercely quiet when I heard quail ticking-ticking around below the stone towers where a spring still barely seeps.

At the Hovenweep campground I commenced with the ritual struggle of erecting the tent in the wind. Efforts were witnessed by a nice guy from Georgia sitting at his nearby camp, and a huge raven croaking from a nearby tree.

The two of them had become loosely acquainted through a trash rifling incident that I completely disregarded, believing myself smarter than a bird. I stored food and trash well. I was experienced. HA!

I croaked back at the giant bird and the next morning I left to see ruins.

I took the trail from the Hovenweep Visitor Center that circles the canyon of spectacular towers. But 30 minutes later a little voice in my head started asked questions – little questions that gave me a sense of being on the edge of a sinking feeling.

The swirling question in this moment was check-out time. It varies a lot between campgrounds. I don’t know why I thought it was noon but it was not. It was five minutes ago.

There was at least an hour of packing and loading and I was over a mile from the car. I pictured an angry family and a uniformed park ranger at my campsite, looking over my things, checking the time, tapping their feet. Maybe a ticket. Getting scorned.

Sweating and panting, I finally got back to the campground. everything was quiet. A little too quiet. No guy, no bird, no ranger, no waiting family.

I took down the tent and was trying to stuff it into the bag when I got another sinking feeling and looked over at the picnic table. Something was different. The top of the food box was on the ground and there was oatmeal scattered everywhere. As I picked up the torn bag the remainder of tomorrow’s breakfast fell out into the dirt too.

The raven was conspicuously gone. So was a half loaf of sliced sourdough and some of my dark chocolate. My dinner – a precooked pouch of “Everyday Dal,” had been pecked which I didnt discover until that evening after much of the liquid had leaked all over everything else in the food basket.

Gratefully, no one came along to witness my shame.

McPhee Recreation Area

On US160 headed east. Two lanes. Fast. A lot of truck traffic as it’s the only highway across southern Colorado. Up ahead suddenly there are brake lights. Cars and trucks are pulled over on both sides. I imagine a tragedy. Then I see, through the stopped cars gawping, a young bear tearing apart roadkill – elk or deer, grabbing hold and yanking. Jumping up and down with the rib cage. It is gross but almost cute. My fast glance captured the dead animal’s head flopping in rhythm.

Unsure about what I’d eat for breakfast thanks to the raven, I was double-doubtful when I got an email saying there was no water in the McPhee Recreation Area campground. But I decided to check it out. Perhaps as a result of this email, it was nearly empty. The site I’d chosen online was next to huge old gorgeous junipers and pinyons.

I decided to sit in the car until the wind died down but it never did and I slept in my car. I woke up at about 3AM to flashlights shining around my camp. My spidey sense didnt register this as danger so I tucked back into my nest. In the morning, a man was still walking around the woods in circles, carrying a now useless flashlight.

Have you seen a cat?

I woman stumbled up beside him.

Two cats. One is wearing a little red scarf and then other…

No. Very sorry.

I find this sad and stupid but I don’t say so. After coffee I join in the unproductive search.

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