Sabbatical 2008: Vacation 7: Mesa Verde

From Monument Valley, we drove past Four Corners (where the borders of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet) to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. I had not been there, and always wanted to see it. We drove into the park, and since it was evening, we decided to just stay on the beautiful Morefield Campground.

Our little spot in paradise...

Behind the RV, just meters away, a couple of deer passed by

We were told (and it was advertised) that there was a Ranger talk tonight in the amphitheater, and we were looking forward to it. Thus, we tried to find our way in the pitch dark, just to find out that nobody was at the theater. There were a family passing us, coming back as well, so I guess it had been canceled...

The next morning we went further into the park. It is a very long dead end road, so later that day we would have to go all the way back again. From the National Park Service website:

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

We first had to stop at the Far View Visitor Center about half way. For some of the dwellings we you had to buy tickets, and you can only see them on a guided tour. We decided to buy tickets for the Cliff Palace, and then after the tour see Spruce Tree Terrace on our own. We drove to th ecar park at Cliff Palace and shortly after we arrived our tour started.

Small dwelling opposite Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace

Our guide was a cool guy. He was an excellent interpreter, had good knowledge,
which - coupled with a good sense of humour - made the tour thoroughly enjoyable

You had to first go down steps...

...and then up a ladder

The round thing in the foreground is a kiva, a ceremonial room.
You can find these in many places in the area (see Aztec Ruins blog)

a kiva again

After the tour we drove the short way over to the next car aprk at Spruce Tree Terrace. Here, you were allowed to tour the dwelling on your own. There was a ranger present to answer questions, and to make sure that no damage was done...

Spruce Tree Terrace

Petroglyph

Neil going down into a kiva

In the kiva

On the way back to the park entrance, we stopped at the highest point of the park: Park Point is 8572 feet (2613 meters) above sea level, and after a short walk offers spectacular views at 360 degrees!