Whenever we're in the vicinity of the 4 Corners National Monument, I like to stop by and have my picture taken standing in ONE STATE, it doesn't matter which. This is a slap at those ding-dong goody-goodies who say with a big smile: "Look at Me...I'm standing in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, all at the same time"! gimme a break..... Hal
How did I overlook this most interesting thread? I grew up near there and could be standing in all four states within a couple of hours. It is interesting that what I thought nothing of, is a big deal to others. The nearest photo I have is at Mesa Verde when I was 10 after a bad haircut I gave myself so I was allowed to wear my silly oversized "cowboy" hat for the photo. I am still a fan and wear those old-style high-waisted USA-made cowgirl blue jeans. I can no longer strike this glamour pose due to my balance.
Besides, it's not guaranteed to be the "exact" four corners anyway. Just like the Midtad Del Mundo in Ecuador, where you can straddle a line and stand in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere at the same time. Except that the actual equator is at the bottom of a ravine a little ways off. That said, I DO indeed love tourist traps. I'll hit every one of them if possible....
Have you ever been to the other smaller Indian ruins in that area? They are even more impressive than Mesa Verde. I used to visit a different ruin every Sunday with my hubs and continued it even after he did the unthinkable. I kept it up until I moved away. It was sort of a spiritual experience for me. Standing at Hovenweep was when I made the decision to move away. I read that my favorite part of it is temporarily closed due to dangerous access. It was quite a hike in there when I was young. Hovenweep National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Actually, it is the exact spot and the original survey stake is there. It was decided to have the four states meet at that spot for ease of survey. South of where I live now is where the 45th parallel runs. I have friends that had the location of their new ranch house surveyed with the 45th parallel running down the roof ridge. You are standing on the 45th when you enter their front door.
No, we didn't explore any other ruins, though we did a lot of driving in the Jeep. Such beautiful country.
Related to this thread is the interesting fact that the USA has 2 states that don't border any other state, Alaska, and Hawaii. Then there is just 1 state that only borders one other state and that is Maine. Then Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet comprising the only place where 4 states meet, which leaves the USA with 43 states that have at least one spot where they meet 2 other states, making a 3 state connection. Some states have several places they meet other states comprising a 2 and/or a 3-state connection. There are 62 points in the United States where three states meet, 35 are on land, and 27 are in the water. I am not sure how many you can stand on, but I would guess a few anyway. Tennessee has 8 points where 3 states meet. Rhode Island, Florida, South Carolina, and Washington are the only states that have only 1 point where they meet 2 other states.
Then there's Point Roberts, Washington, that's actually IN Canada. If you want to drive to Point Roberts, you have to first enter Canada and then re-enter the United States (Point Roberts). Or if you don't want to do that, you can fly in or boat in. Of course, the same thing can be said of the entire state of Alaska......
I loved Mesa Verde area. Was on a bus tour full of old people. We were cautioned that walking down into and area also required walking back out of the area. Hubby stayed behind. Went to a dig and a pueblo. Could not figure out why the Anasazi left.