We visited the Edge of the Cedars State Park at around 9:00 a.m. It is right on the western edge of Blanding. They have a nice museum with lots of Native American and Anasazi artifacts, and there are excavated ruins outside, with paths that take you around the site. You can also go down inside of a kiva. Very interesting.

They also have a Sun Sculpture (pictured above) that is fascinating. As the sun pierces certain openings in the structure, the light shines on the inside surface, marking certain days of the year. This solar calendar is similar to actual sites found around the Four Corners area.

There is also a gift shop and rest rooms. We left the State Park at about 10:38 a.m. and headed to Hovenweep National Monument.

12:08 p.m.
After we got settled in our room we drove the Edge of the Cedars State Park to see the Native American artwork on display and for sale there. This weekend is their annual sale and show. Natives from all over the Four Corners area come to sell their jewelry and other handcrafts. There are also Native American performers on a stage, food, and crafts demonstrations.

1:40 p.m.
We’re finishing with our visit to the Edge of the Cedars. There were quite a few booths with a variety of craft goods for sale, but mostly jewelry. Anne bought a few pieces of jewelry. We ate Navajo tacos for lunch. The air was cold and it was windy. It was sunny, but chilly and windy.

On the way into the State Park and again leaving the park a pair of neighborhood dogs chased the truck, biting at the tires. I haven’t seen that sort of behavior anywhere in many years. Small towns seem to be more lax when it comes to their pet restrictions and regulations.

1:44 p.m.
From the State Park we drove back through town to the Blanding Visitor Center. We checked there to see if they had new information on local archaeological sites. We picked up a few brochures and talked with the fellow behind the counter, then headed back to the motel.

Just before 5:00 we drove over to the Edge of the Cedars State Park, where we met up with State of Utah Natural Resources people that were hosting the evening meal. Anne had a meeting with them the following morning, so they invited us to join them. We met everyone, then went on a tour of the museum, lead by an archaeologist named Terry. She showed us around and described a lot of the more interesting exhibits on display, giving us a little inside information on some of what we were seeing. Then she took us for a tour of the outside ruins, and we got to go down inside of the kiva.

From there we headed back to the picnic area for our evening meal.