Sept 30th, Sunday: Mesa Verde National Park

Sept 30th:  It's another beautiful day in Colorado.  The day was spent on a trip just down the street to Mesa Verde National Park.  Entering the park you see acres and acres again of burned out forest.  Different in Mesa Verde than the other parks is the foliage and all the tremendous amoutn of burnt trees.  Another twisting, turning, up hill and around hill drive for over 20 miles to get to our adventure.  Car rentals are good,  motorhomes whining and struggling are bad!  At one point in a cross over a different mountain pass in the motorhome, Roger had it floor boarded and we were only going 10 mpg.  There were no turn outs so we were committed to that drive. 

Our destination now is a cliff  dwelling called Cliff Palace - the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.  And we thought the drive here was something.  You had to walk down steps carved out of the sandstone.  Many, many steps that wound around and down 100 feet.  Then when you are down you walked up an 8-foot ladder to the dwellings.  A ranger gave his talk.  Now that you have walked all this way down, how do you think you get back up?

Three, count 'em, THREE 10-foot ladders straight up after climbing more steps up and around. All all this at 7,000 feet altitude!

A-huffin' and a-puffin, we made it. Gretchen hurt all the rest of the day! Roger made some great steaks for our last meal here. Wind way too much for our last night campfire. Off to a desolute southeast Colorado tomorrow.  But you know we will find an adventure out there.

No wonder Gretchen is so whipped out and goes to bed at 8p.m.  Not only did she make that Mesa Verde climb but has been in four different time zones!  Five o'clock in the morning isn't really 5a.m.  It could be 5, it could be 6, or at home it could be 8a.m.  Nothing like being lost in time and having fun while lost!

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picture:  Burnt trees.  Since 1906 - 2000, 75% of the forest has burned due to dry lightning strikes
picture:  Destination:  Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde
picture:  "apartment" in the Palace is original stone/plaster.  We don't make things today that can last 2,000 years.  How could they?
picture:  Kiva:  ceremonial room/gathering place
picture:  Fire pit in middle.  Right above that is a 3-inch circle (sipapu) that symbolizes where the spirits  of ancestors first emerged to enter the present world. 
picture:  Gretchen making her way up the steps when leaving.  Above her head begins the three ladders climb.  Look at those steps and the closeness of the walls.
picture:  she's still climbing!!!!  LOL
picture: Roger climbing that straight up ladder.
picture:  The last of the exit ladders.  Thank goodness.  But you still have to walk more up hill on the sidewalk and through the long parking lot!
picture:  Mesa Verda on the exit.  You can see part of the road near the bottom.  A contrast of Mesa Verde with foliage in front ground and in the background are the Ute Mountains, just rock formation.
picture:  Cooking delicious steaks.  Time for rest and some good wine.