Edge of the Cedars Travel Guide.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum is not a park that permits camping or activities as allowed in a public park.  It is an Ancestral Puebloan archaeological site, museum & archaeological repository. 

Outdoor park facilities include a short, paved interpretive trail around the ruin, landscaping with native plants and outdoor sculptures, and picnic area.

• Location is within the town of Blanding; 21.3 miles south of Monticello along Hwy 191 for 20.1 miles, right onto Est 200 North, right onto North 400 West, left onto West 400 North, right to access parking area.

• Open March – November (except Thanksgiving Day), Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm, Sun 9-4pm; December - February (except Christmas Eve & Day, New Year’s Eve & Day), Mon-Sun, 9am-2pm.

• Restrooms, water fountain, gift shop inside.

• Admission Fee: Yes

• Camping – Not allowed.

• Pets – Not allowed.

• Website: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/ (scroll down to Edge of the Cedars box)

• Address: 660 West 400 North, Blanding, UT, 84511

• Phone: (435) 678-2238

Edge of the Cedars is also part of the Four Corners Lecture Series.  We've enjoyed many an afternoon listening to educators on pottery, weaving, rock art, geology, native plants, foods and life in general in the 4 Corners region of the Colorado Plateau.

Mary Cokenour

Native Beauty of Cedar Mesa Pottery.

Cedar Mesa Pottery

333 South Main (Route 191)

Blanding, Utah, 84511

Phone: (435) 678-2241

            (800) 235-7687

Website: http://www.cmpottery.com/

Hours of Operation:  Monday thru Friday; 8am to 5pm

 



Joe B. Lyman, Owner

 

Warning!  When entering Cedar Mesa Pottery, via the gift shop, be prepared for a visual assault of the most beautiful Native American pottery collections.  Alright, now that you have been fully warned, let’s take the tour.  Cedar Mesa Pottery is located in Blanding, Utah with its beginning around 1981; owned and operated by local, Joe Lyman.  The work of his crafts people enable the factory to present to the world both Navajo and Ute artistry.  The glass and wooden display cases hold unique pieces signed by each artist; collective pieces so skillfully done that your fingers itch to touch.  Distinctive grey and black pieces containing true horse hair (a personal favorite); ceramics that resemble authentic etched wood; mesmerizing colors; striking designs based on themes.

 

 

 

 

 

The tour of the factory first brings you to the “closeouts and seconds” section; lovely pieces that simply did not make the cut through quality control.  Packing and Shipping comes next; aisles of plastic wrapped pottery ready to be picked, packaged and shipped to shops, trading posts, residential homes; even San Juan County’s own Welcome Centers carry Cedar Mesa Pottery.  All pieces are available at wholesale and retail pricing; opening an account is quick and easy.

Packing

 

Follow the Footprints.

Casting.

All visitors to the factory are encouraged to take a map and descriptive guide which explains the various processes of pottery making.  Cedar Mesa uses a perfected mixture of clays from New York, California, Tennessee and Texas which is called “slip”.  The slip is poured into various molds until the correct thickness is reached; the balance is poured out and recycled.  The Kilns come next; pieces are fired within gas kilns at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, for three to five hours.  Sealing is a cooling off period of several hours to ensure the pieces do not crack or warp.  After a twenty-four hour waiting period, the pieces have any excess clay removed carefully with sponges; the pieces are now ready to meet their individual artists.

 

 

 

 

Kilns and Sealing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning.

Watching the artisans is fascinating; how each one can paint and/or etch each piece quickly, yet so skillfully.  Animal figures emerge: deer, elk, moose, bear, eagle, buffalo, raven and wolf (again, a personal favorite).  Themes vary from natural settings (forest, desert) to monumental locations (Monument Valley, Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower); petroglyphic designs; and the famous “End of the Trail” featuring the lone brave on his horse.

 

By the end of the tour, you will very likely have a shopping list in your mind.  Back inside the gift shop, there will be so much more to tempt you; candles, dream catchers, Kachina dolls; and the t-shirt collector has not been forgotten either.   Definitely, if visiting San Juan County, stop into Blanding, visit Cedar Mesa Pottery, and take the factory tour; you will be amazed!

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Huck's Museum and the Promise of Fried Chicken.

Before I can actually tell you about Huck's Museum and Trading Post, I'll need to tell how we got there in the first place. We had just spent several hours hiking and exploring the Old Pioneer Dugway (outside Bluff, UT), and the slickrock ledges above it (that's for another post).  While I had brought along snacks, that wasn't enough for Roy and he wanted to hurry home as I had promised to make him fried chicken.  As we traveled northward, along Route 191, we were passing by Huck's and the OPEN sign was by the road, the neon sign inside was lit.

Now we had often passed by Huck's, but it was either closed, or we were hurrying off to elsewhere.  It was Sunday and we were surprised to see the open signs, but I told Roy I wanted to go in.  He kept driving though and pretended he had not heard me, so I asked him, "Umm, the museum, are we going?"  He replied, "I'm hungry and want fried chicken."  We were now two blocks away when I replied back, "You want fried chicken?  I want to see the museum; it's open, we're here; no museum, no fried chicken!"  Roy slowed the vehicle, checked traffic and did a U-turn back to Huck's.

Huck's Museum and Trading Post

1243 South Main Street (Route 191)
Blanding, Utah, 84511-3204

Phone: (435) 678-2329

The entrance to Huck's brings you directly into the trading post with all manner of knick-knacks for sale; the majority of them are Native American in origin (jewelry, pottery, Kachina dolls, carvings), local books and Blue Mountains Shadows, the magazine of San Juan County.  There are also old time artifacts on the walls, so you're sort of in a museum without being in the actual museum.

Now, as Huck told us later on, he's a hoarder; as soon as he empties out one area, it simply gets piled up again.  No wonder then that you won't notice him right away sitting by his desk, so don't jump when you hear his low, raspy voice say "Hello".  Hugh Acton (aka Huck) is, at first glance, a man of small stature (5'1"), frail and bent from the vestiges of age (87 years old), and cancer of the throat explaining the voice.  It's the eyes that give away that this old man is full of life yet; his tales are knowledgeable about San Juan County, and he is a pip!  Don't underestimate him; he's not dead yet and is still full of surprises!





The fee for the tour is $10 and well worth every penny and while the handwritten sign says "no photos allowed", he might just let you take one.  Huck owns and runs the museum/trading post on his own, and you can hear the love for his labors come through as he tells his tales.  There are mind blowing collections of arrowheads, beads, jewelry, tools, all types of pottery, axe heads (462 on one wall alone!) and sandals made from various plant fibers.  Thousands of artifacts, some of which he reconstructed himself, are housed in glass display cases that he built, designed, and labeled. His collection includes donations from local residents of the county, as well as artifacts from other sites throughout the United States, Mexico, Peru, and around the world. The "Hall of Fame" is a collection of artifacts sent to him by people from all over, who have visited the museum and knew he would appreciate their gifts.  He carefully labels each one with the name of the donor and the location where the artifact was found.

We developed an easy rapport with Huck; the first story he told was of when his father went to the 1934 World's Fair in Chicago and brought home a model of a Grey Hound bus.  "Well funny that." I said, "When I was a little girl, I went to the 1964 World's Fair in New York and have lots of souvenirs still."  His smile got so big, and I bet he was hoping I'd donate them to his museum.  He asked us many a question and was pleased when we showed we knew much about San Juan County.  Huck showed us the golden shovel he was able to keep from the dedication ceremony of the new Four Corners Monument; he was so proud!  By the way, did you know that the Anasazi invented the microphone?  No?  Then you better head on into Huck's and see the proof of it all.  We oohed and aahed, we smiled and laughed till our faces hurt; this was one experience that would remain memorable!

Huck himself must have had a really good time with us; he actually offered to give us our money back as a thank you for making his day...we refused of course.  After we left I asked Roy if he was glad we stopped and I made him wait for his fried chicken.  Oh yeah, he was happy, and that chicken was simply the ending to a great day.

Mary Cokenour

Aztec Ruins National Monument

Aztec Ruins National Monument

Ruins Road (off Route 516)
Aztec, New Mexico, 87410

Phone: (505) 334-6174

Website: http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm





Many times we have been in the Farmington area and wanted to visit this site, but somehow we got side tracked.  This time we made the plans to visit, not just this site, but also Salmon Ruins (I'll write about this another day), and didn't tell anyone until we were done.  We were determined not to miss out on either!

Better begin at the beginning of this adventure; when we go to Farmington, we usually take the La Plata Highway (Route 140 in Colorado, Route 170 in New Mexico) for it is a more scenic route.  Before reaching La Plata, there is a road sign indicating the way to Aztec along Route 574, and we decided to take this route instead of backtracking through Farmington.  Route 574 is not the most scenic of routes; it is sort of like driving through an oil field, as there are pump jacks, storage tanks, and oil rigs all along the road.

The ride to Aztec is only 14 miles to reach the junction of Route 516; make a left onto Route 516 and at the light, make a left turn onto Ruins Road. Keep driving until the end of the road, you cannot miss the entrance. At first, the main building looks small, but don't be fooled...it gets bigger! Before going in, take a moment to read the dedication plaque by the stairway; and the information boards on the building itself.

Once you get inside, the gift shop is to the left and ahead is the check-in counter; the folks manning the desk are the friendliest; pay your fee and you'll receive a guide book to help you with the ruins.  This guide book you need to return to the desk when you're done, but you can purchase a smaller version of the book for just a couple of dollars.  To the right is either the exit to the ruins, or the museum...do NOT miss the museum; there are fascinating artifacts and information boards to help you understand the Puebloan people.

Now to the ruins themselves and prepare to be awed! As you exit onto the back patio area, the ruins are immediately in your sight.  Follow the guide book, stay on the designated pathway and the posted at the ruins correspond to numbers in the book.  This is a wonderful place to visit, so do NOT rush through it.

 
The first building you enter is The House of the Great Kiva; this is a reconstruction over the Great Kiva which was founded in 1921.  As soon as you enter, you will notice the quiet and serenity; you know immediately that you are standing within a sacred place...keep quiet and behave yourself!  I highly recommend you purchase a book from the gift shop entitled, "The House of the Great Kiva at the Aztec Ruin" by Earl H. Morris; it's only four dollars and full of information.

Exiting the House of the Great Kiva, there will be another Kiva nearby; to the right will be the eastern side of the West Ruins.  There is one section where you can go through various doorways and inspect the rooms beyond.  Be warned, depending on your height, you may be crawling through; I personally banged an elbow once, knee once and my head seven times!  There are other ruin sites in the area, but they are closed to the public.  Here's a map to give you a better perspective. 

 

Maintenance is a Constant Job at the Ruins.



River Stones used for Patching a Wall.

Roy is 5'10" tall; notice how he barely fits through the doorway.

There are also sections of the central part of the West Ruins you can walk through; the guide book will help explain the differences in structures and point out the "T-shaped doorway"; wooden logs still within the walls; the alignment of doors and windows throughout.  At one point you will be able to follow a path to deeper rooms and walk through them to the far western wall.  Remember to duck!

Leads to back rooms

Kiva located in the central part of the West Ruins.

Example of roofing pattern and technique
 

Doorways through the back rooms.



Original Log inside wall.

T-shaped doorway.



Once you exit the back rooms, check out the wall to your left as you begin walking back towards the museum.  Notice the rows of green sandstone?  The archaeologists are not certain why they're there, but think it might have to do with water and protection for the community.

But wait, there's more!  You will see a stairway to the left, go up to another Kiva; and get the grandest viewing of the entire West Ruins settlement.



View of West Ruins from Kiva.

Grinding Stone and Stone Bowl

In our travels throughout the Four Corners, Aztec Ruins National Monument is in our top ten of state and national parks and/or monuments.  The settlement itself is fascinating; the guide book you use for the self-guided tour is detailed, so you know what you're exactly looking at.  Most definitely add this to your own list of "must visit" places!  Now I'm going to give a little more incentive by posting a map of the Four Corners area, so you can see for yourself how easy it is to reach Aztec after visiting other sites, such as Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde.  You've got no excuses now!

Roy and I would like to thank the staff at Aztec Ruins National Monument for the great visit we had; answering our numerous questions and being so very friendly.

Mary Cokenour