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Show 2T TV Salt Lake Tribune Siinday, July 24, 1983 Finding treasures in a for some odd reason), the fanciful rock formations of Monument Valley and Canyonlands National Park but we had the advantage of seeing it all in the company of naturalist Stewart Aitchison, 34, who helped us understand and appreciate what Mother Nature had taken millions of years to fashion. Aitchison, who served as driver-tou- r coordinator as well as resident naturalist, led our group of eight pampered explorers on a Special Expeditions odyssey called Flight Through Fantasia that began in Flagstaff, Ariz., and ended 12 days later in Grand Junction, Colo. In between we covered more than 1,200 miles, traveling by minivan, vehicles, chartered airplanes and rubberized river rafts. by Harry Ryan New York Daily News Writer Sixteenth-centur- y Spanish in search of cities of gold said to have been built by the ancient Indians were the first white men to see the Four Corners area of the Southwest where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet They failed in their gold hunt, but modern-da- y travelers have better luck; they can be sure of finding a wealth of treasures in the area. The Four Corners region has it all more national parks and monuments per square mile than any other part of the nation, the remains of a lost Indian civilization, rivers for rafters to maneuver, remote canyon trails to explore by . Running Commentary foot or in vehicles, All along the way Aitchison, who and some of natures most dramatic holds a degree in zoology but is a landscapes. One thing about seeing whiz as well about geology, botany, this part of America: Youll never be anthropology, history and Indian bored. lore, kept up a running commentary The region covers thousands of on what we were seeing or were square miles that geologists call the about to see. He joined Special ExColorado Plateau. Major sites of peditions three years ago as a tour tourist interest tend to be spread out leader and has since taken groups to in this part of the world, and so is the Baja California and Alaska as well sparse population. as through the U.S. Southwest. SpeYour Choice cial Expeditions, headed by Sven-OlLindblad, is one of several comThis presents the visitor with a choice: either get behind the wheel panies offering personalized tours of yourself or join a tour group and let the Four Corners region for small someone else handle the driving groups interested in seeing more than the usual tourist sites. chores while you are free to rubberneck. Some years ago we made a Science was never one of my family tour of part of the region and strong suits in school but this was I did all the chauffeuring; this time I education with a difference. It was chose the tour option. Conclusion: enjoyable, and it wasnt long before I found myself pointing to a particubeing catered to is better. lar rock formation and asking our Not only was there ample oppormentor if it was metamorphic, seditunity to see some of the storied of Grand the the Southwest mentary or volcanic in origin. sights Canyon, the Indian pueblo ruins at Whats more, I actually understood his answers. Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon and CanWe bedded down in such diverse yon de Chelly (pronounced de shay swift-runnin- g of area once-forbiddi- ng locales as the plush El Tovar Hotel on the rim of the Grand Canyon, an Indian-ru- n motel on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, and In a tent city of our very own in the heart of re- mote Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Even the latter hardly could be considered roughing it because a n staff set up all the sleeping and dining tents, as well as a utilitarian outdoor shower (the desert sun heated the water to just the right degree) and prepared some great meals, including a memorable beef in wine sauce accompanied by green -- sS1 z A 1 two-ma- C' noodles. My traveling companions ranged age from the short side of 40 to the high 60s and included a retired Air Force colonel and his wife, a Florida land developer and his wife, and a in 2? retired lawyer from Brooklyn Heights who was accompanied by his son, a meteorologist from MIT. Their backgrounds were different but all had one thing in common: a love of learning through travel. All euher had been on a previous Special Expeditions tour or on a Lindblad safari to such exotic places as the whale breeding waters off Baja California, Kenya, New Guinea, China or the Seychelle Islands. Our Flight Through Fantasia presented an opportunity to explore a fascinating corner of our own country and to follow the trail of a lost civilization in the process. No Written Records They left no written records so nobody knows what the Indians who inhabited the Four Corners region from about the time of Christ to 1300 A.D. called themselves or exactly why they deserted their villages of stone houses, leaving many of their possessions behind. It was the Nava-jowho came later and saw the ruins, who dubbed them the Anasazi, the Ancient Ones. s, V'v k' -- S- Fanciful formations of Monument Valley are often referred to as Eighth Wonder of the World. Anthropologists tell us that the Anasazi came across the Bering Straits from Siberia and eventually made their way down through Alaska and Canada to the Southwest. They were nomadic hunters who eventually learned to cultivate a few basic crops corn, beans and and became farmers, squash tending small patches of rain-posoil on the flat terrain called mesas and living in pithouses dug into the red, windblown soil. One of the many mysteries about the Anasazi is why some of them decided to move from the mesas and build multistory cliff dwellings high up on the canyon walls at places such as Mesa Verde and Canyon de Chelly. It probably was for protection from animals or human marauders, but no one can be sure. Master Builders What is evident is that the Anasazi were master builders; the walls of many of their cliff dwellings stand as straight and true today as when they were new. Still to be seen in some places are the thumb prints of builders who left their mark when applying plaster to the brick surfaces. Many of the cave walls also contain carved petroglyphs or painted pictures of animals, human figures, hands, feet and symbols that probably had some religious significance. Among the largest and most accessible collections of cliff dwellings that at Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado, where we spent two nights at the comfort able Far View Lodge. At Mesa Verde you can simply look down at the ruins from roadside lookouts or follow walking trails to some sites, Cliff Palace including the that was discovered only 95 years ago after lying undisturbed for more than 600 years. An especially interesting tour is offered to the 520,000-acr- e preserves Wetherill Mesa section. No private cars are permitted in this half-hoarea so the ride each way is by free Park Service shuttle bus. A ranger gives a narrated tour, first warning visitors that the trek down a steep trail to the ruins is equivalent to climbing a building. The trip is well worth the effort, partly because this particular site is never crowded. Impressive From Air One of the flight segments of our Fantasia trip took us over another of the Anasazi archeological treasures, Chaco Canyon National Monument in northwestern New Mexico. The ruins, which are difficult to reach over unpaved roads, are especially impressive from the air. The leading metropolis of its day, Chacos largest ruin is the Pueblo Bonito, which contained buildings five stories high with 800 rooms and 32 kivas. The settlement, with a population estimated at 7,000, evidently was a major trading center as well as a productive farming area. In addition to turquoise obtained from neighbors, the Chacoans imported cotton from southern Arizona, parrots from Mexico and shells from 200-roo- m ry the Pacific Coast. All had to be carried by hand because the people had no horses or other beasts of burden and did not develop the wheel We, of course, relied on wheeled vehicles for much of our journey, but at times it seemed we were no better off than the Ancient Ones. For instance, there was the day we became stuck in the mud of Arizonas Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The monument is on the Navajo Reservation and, aside from walking tours conducted by National Park Service rangers, the only way to reach the Anasazi ruins and dramatic rock formations deep within the canyon is via open bed trucks driven by Navajos. A good part of the route traverses Chinle Creek, which was higher than usual in early June because of the runoff from heavy snows and rains that have inundated the Southwest this year. We had just about comtour and were pleted the two-horeturning to home base when one driver in our three-vehicconvoy decided to take a short cut across the mud flats. He was soon mired in the muck, so we turned back to help drag him out with the aid of a winch attached to the front of our truck. There was much laughter and picture-taking as we went to the rescue. But then we became stuck and the third vehicle had to haul us out. That wasnt the end of the tale because, in then attempting to help the first truck, our rescuer became mired in quicksand, too. We finally Column 1 See Page T-six-by-s- ix ur le 3, Fun Time Tours on (15 Yrs. of Experience) CANADIAN ROCKIES & TEMPLE TOUR V j Aug. Solle 4, 1983 23-Se- PUERTO .V ALLART Al 775 $ Admission to Butchait Gardens ride on glacier, boat ride on Lake includes 20 meals, including lunch at Lake Louise Chateau, temple sessions at Logan, Idaho Falls, Alberta and Seattle. A Chaco Canyon National Monument contains the ruins of many great Indian communal dwellings. Sept. 24-0- AW!! taxot and martanta cocktails, professional aaaistenco and Special Group Departure Aug. 27, 1983 n. On the SUN PRtNCESSBntish Registry Call for Details, 6 13 meals and all admissions Choice seats tor parade. 278-310- 1 Occupancy 521-833- SKYWAYS TRAVEL SALT LAKE 204 E. 900 OGDEN So. 1 229 Newgate Mall 399-111- Wilbur Webb or 486-014- 1 2380 Evergreen Ave., S.LC., UT B41 09 d a OeluxeJGuesjtoo Become a TBIWCL flGNT Continental Breakfas Bonuffunjpak jeejlfve. Entertainmen JFree n the Red 6 Week Courses Reservations Fares Tours Ticketing Cruises Sales Lin Show Lounge For information and reservations, call toll-fre- e FREE DRAWING! ttiitvtftoikii pi i wns (602)278-888- fcK "" - Also Availabte Vi W Rail Professional development 30 HOURS HANDS ON AGENCY COMPUTER TRAINING 0, & :.,- Hotel Every Round Trip! 8 fwm umm mm a gmaijl ' Chance to Win Bus Package Your a Fra in Anzona ? 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Groceries, fishing tackle, powerboats? recreational equip ment and sundry items are on hand at Lake Powells five mannas i hotel 5 ROSE PARADE Dec. 28, 1983-Ja3, 1984 For Free Brochure Phone or Write ousedqatiug Tt:j spectacular the in HOTEL BUENAVENTURA- - Round trip aw 435 dbl. occupancy b -- to hotel, ALASKA A - 8 days in Mexicos Newest Resort in Ixtapas Newest Hotel ' -- HOTEL SHERATON-AL- L HOTELS ARE ON THE BEACH tera from Sat Lafct City, hotel accownodabona as indicated, round tnp transfers tram 24 in New York City). Visit Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New England, New York City and Niagra Falls. Fantastic tour. RfiCKfiGE! MAZATLAN- 465 meals (special dinner at Mama Leones f? PLAYA IXTAPAZIHUATANEJO 11, 1983 ct Fly to and from Detroit. Includes: 6 days 6 Days in the -- 1 FALL FOLIAGE TOUR $370 00 Utafe sundial travel, inc. 404 East 4500 So (801) B 33 SLC Ut 84107 863-381- 3 4 |
