Leaving Arches National Monument and driving into Moab was magical and as we left that cool little Utah
town we continued to see landscape that gave us the impression that we had moved into an alternate universe. Our surroundings even more strongly evoked images of
Native Americans traveling through the area and - more and more frequently we saw evidence that their culture has persisted in its influence on life here. Our destination was the small city of Cortez, Colorado which - in addition to being where our overnight lodgings were - is the center for an enormous range of points of interest. Of course we have just finished a short trip to Arches National Monument - - well, almost due west of Arches is Canyonlands National Monument which we, regretfully, were not able to visit in the time we had
available. The reason we chose to move on was that we were really anxious to see the the Cortez Cultural Center. And - we knew that there were ancient Anasazi ruins located in the hills around Cortez and in the higher elevations of that marvelous geological phenomenon - Mesa Verde!!! We arrived in Cortez, settled into our hotel, had a celebratory glass of wine and headed out to find a place to eat - and - the cultural center. Well, let's get things in order.
We did find a place to eat but none of us can remember it - because - right after dinner we found
the Cultural Center and were absolutely blown away. The historical displays, art exhibits and craft stores were all wonderful - but - at the same time we were trying to see all of that, representatives from the local Indian tribes were conducting seminars on everything from Native American Spirituality to
Sand Painting. We sat in on as many presentations as we could and were absolutely overwhelmed at the beauty, intricacy and historical importance of these features of Native American life. THEN!!!!! One
of the Sand Painters - Sheldon Manuelito - informed us that he was also the leader of the Navajo Dance team and that we were all expected to go outside to learn the Navajo Two Step dance. Wellllll.... our gang is not real big on the 'dancing thing' but, we agreed that we were obligated to at least join the group
outside. The Cultural Center has a beautiful patio for ceremonial dancing - equipped with stands for observers - and, frankly, it was simply elegant. Manuelito explained the n
ature and purpose of the dance, the significance of the steps and body movements and within minutes he had virtually every person present actively involved. I don't want to be melodramatic but - with the ancient rhythms of the drums, the
spellbinding chants being sung and the rhythmic movements of our feet and bodies, we were soon transported to a different time and place. Suddenly we were all brothers and sisters and the shared feelings of peace were evident throughout the crowd. It was magical!!! Frankly, t
his was one of the most meaningful evenings we had on our trip and it prepared us for getting on the road early the next day to see more of our amazing surroundings. After breakfast we headed
out to find the Anasazi ruins and wound up at Hovenweep Monument overlooking the Dolores River. The ancient Kivas gave us tremendous opportunities to explore and to sit
and reflect on the historical significance of the place we were visiting. I suppose it was somewhat symbolic that as we were sitting in the ancient ruins, reflecting on the events that had taken place here so long ago, a pair of Golden Eagles carried out a courtship dance hundreds of feet above us. Soon, though, we had to push on. We were looking forward to our visit to the lofty Mesa Verde and the ancient people who populated the area. We'll come back soon and tell you what we found in that incredible site - so - hurry back!!! See ya.
town we continued to see landscape that gave us the impression that we had moved into an alternate universe. Our surroundings even more strongly evoked images of 
Native Americans traveling through the area and - more and more frequently we saw evidence that their culture has persisted in its influence on life here. Our destination was the small city of Cortez, Colorado which - in addition to being where our overnight lodgings were - is the center for an enormous range of points of interest. Of course we have just finished a short trip to Arches National Monument - - well, almost due west of Arches is Canyonlands National Monument which we, regretfully, were not able to visit in the time we had 
available. The reason we chose to move on was that we were really anxious to see the the Cortez Cultural Center. And - we knew that there were ancient Anasazi ruins located in the hills around Cortez and in the higher elevations of that marvelous geological phenomenon - Mesa Verde!!! We arrived in Cortez, settled into our hotel, had a celebratory glass of wine and headed out to find a place to eat - and - the cultural center. Well, let's get things in order. 
We did find a place to eat but none of us can remember it - because - right after dinner we found
the Cultural Center and were absolutely blown away. The historical displays, art exhibits and craft stores were all wonderful - but - at the same time we were trying to see all of that, representatives from the local Indian tribes were conducting seminars on everything from Native American Spirituality to
Sand Painting. We sat in on as many presentations as we could and were absolutely overwhelmed at the beauty, intricacy and historical importance of these features of Native American life. THEN!!!!! One 
of the Sand Painters - Sheldon Manuelito - informed us that he was also the leader of the Navajo Dance team and that we were all expected to go outside to learn the Navajo Two Step dance. Wellllll.... our gang is not real big on the 'dancing thing' but, we agreed that we were obligated to at least join the group 
outside. The Cultural Center has a beautiful patio for ceremonial dancing - equipped with stands for observers - and, frankly, it was simply elegant. Manuelito explained the n
ature and purpose of the dance, the significance of the steps and body movements and within minutes he had virtually every person present actively involved. I don't want to be melodramatic but - with the ancient rhythms of the drums, the 
spellbinding chants being sung and the rhythmic movements of our feet and bodies, we were soon transported to a different time and place. Suddenly we were all brothers and sisters and the shared feelings of peace were evident throughout the crowd. It was magical!!! Frankly, t
his was one of the most meaningful evenings we had on our trip and it prepared us for getting on the road early the next day to see more of our amazing surroundings. After breakfast we headed 
out to find the Anasazi ruins and wound up at Hovenweep Monument overlooking the Dolores River. The ancient Kivas gave us tremendous opportunities to explore and to sit 
and reflect on the historical significance of the place we were visiting. I suppose it was somewhat symbolic that as we were sitting in the ancient ruins, reflecting on the events that had taken place here so long ago, a pair of Golden Eagles carried out a courtship dance hundreds of feet above us. Soon, though, we had to push on. We were looking forward to our visit to the lofty Mesa Verde and the ancient people who populated the area. We'll come back soon and tell you what we found in that incredible site - so - hurry back!!! See ya.
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