Four Corners

It was getting late and I wanted to visit Four Corners Monument before sunset. I stopped briefly in Kayenta, AZ for food and fuel and continued on my way.

In Arizona, they have port of entrys on all their highways for trucks to be weighed. They slow the traffic down to 35 mph, even on 4 lanes. There was one near the New Mexico border as I was getting close to Four Corners. Unfortunately for me, this port of entry was on the other side of a hill and I didn't see the sign for 35 mph.

A very nice Arizona Department of Safety got my attention (pretty red and blue lights) and I pulled over. He then preceded to tell me about safety and how it would take 2.5 hours to get a helicopter to this remote area to take me to medical care if I needed it. All valid points, I agreed with him.

He asked what I did for a living back in Ohio. I told him computer repair. He then asked me to exit my vehicle.

WHAT?? Computer repair is a crime in Arizona?

I made my way back to his SUV cruiser and then he pointed to his laptop and asked if I could fix his LCD screen. I laughed and took a look at it. The right side was very dim and I tapped on the top of the screen and saw it brighten up somewhat. I told him he had a loose connection or a bad solder joint and that he should get it looked at in a shop. He was happy that I was able to brighten it up for him.

He thanked me and told me that Four Corners was closed (closes at 5pm) but that I could park my SUV and climb over the gate and walk the half mile to the plaque. Which I did!

Just for the record, I was only clocked at 51 in a 35 mph zone, so technically I wasn't speeding, just didn't see the zone change. And he gave me the warning before asking me to repair his laptop.

The Four Corners is the only place in the United States where four states come together at one place. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet at the Four Corners. Here a person can put each of their hands and feet in four states at the same time. The unique landmark is on Navajo Nation land and is open for visits from the public.

The Four Corners Monument was originally surveyed and established by the US Government Surveyors and Astronomers in 1868 with the survey of Colorado's southern boundary. Surveys followed of New Mexico's west boundary and Utah's east boundary in 1878. The northern boundary of Arizona was surveyed in 1901. A small permanent marker was erected in 1912 where the boundaries of the four states intersected. The Monument was refurbished in 1992 with a bronze disk embedded in granite. Each of the state boundaries radiate from the disk and each state's seal rests within that state's boundary.