04-SEP-2012
9/4
We weren’t in a big hurry so we had a fire as we broke camp. We had our usual pot of strong coffee and ate the last two scones from Moab plus a couple of V8s.
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We said goodbye to our most excellent campsite and left the park. Along the way out, we pulled over to watch a couple of
American Kestrels hunting among the sagebrush.
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We stopped one more time at Needles Outpost so Peter could grab a shower…very refreshing.
For anyone interested in the history of the southwest, The Edge of the Cedars is a “must see”. The collection there rivals any that we’ve seen so far. We were here in 2003 but it seemed different.
We spent a couple of hours or so looking at the exhibits. Through the objects on display, you gain a deep appreciation for the civilization that evolved here a thousand years ago.
The quality of the pottery and the painted designs are of the highest order. If they were recreated, they would have a great contemporary appeal.
The wooden plates made from cottonwood look like they could be from a Danish-modern catalog. The stone knives displayed with them also have a very modern look.
In back of the museum are the ruins of a puebloan greathouse that you can view and even climb down the ladder into the kiva. It is an interesting setting with the ruins and the museum among the backyards of a neighborhood in Blanding.
We weren’t visiting on a solstice but still enjoyed the play of sunlight and shadow. It would be amazing to meet this rock artist someday.