The miles add up, over 3,000 so far. Our trip route is based on the "Random Walk" theory.
In daylight we could see the sign we had unwittingly passed in the dark the night before, which delayed even further our arrival at the lodge. The delay also gave Pam some additional white knuckle time on the pitch black twisties. Her ideal speed for the car in those conditions would have been pulling over and stopping.
We are among the last guests the lodge will have until next year. It closes on October 24th.
Love the room decor - this is called their Kiva room, an upgrade with more amenities. Trumps crave luxury.
We woke up to beautiful views from our porch (yes, yes, this photo was taken from inside the room with outside porch in the foreground.)
The sky was in constant transition - some blue, then no blue, white clouds then clouds which looked as though rain was imminent. Jumping ahead, it did not rain until we were ensconced inside the lodge hours later.
Far View Lodge - registration, dining room & bar
Norm catching up on hometown news via an Ipad SacBee edition. Pam, when not engagied in candid camera activities, catching up on her seemingly inexhaustible e-mail traffic. Coffee, hot chocolate and scones fortify us against the outside 43 degree chill. Soon it's off to do touristy things.
We are all alone on the road. It's not that no on else was here, but it there were so few people relatively speaking that, other than at the lodge and certain points of interest, we had way lots of elbow room.
The trees in this area reflect a 20,000 acre fire in the park in 2001. The ground cover and low bushes have recovered, but no new trees. At 7,000 feet some things just take alot longer. But for those who appreciate a Dali-esqe, somewhat surreal landscape, break out the paintbrush.
Our first stop of the day. Since the park visitors center, located at the park entrance had closed when we arrived, that will have to wait for the trip out tomorrow.
Mesa Verde Museum- actually quite large, several rooms chockablock full of artifacts and information.
So many of the "official" posters we come across are so darn nifty, graphically and colorwise. But what do we really do with them if you buy them? A photo has to suffice for the urge to acquire.
More museum.
And yet more - here were four dioramas imagining the Ancestral Puebloans going about their daily lives.
Norm pressed against a bench waiting to watch a half hour video delving into Mesa Verde and its inhabitants. Pam said nix to the bench so Norm companionably joined by taking a (more comfortable) chair. Compromise? Who's to say?
Sssshhhhh says the full-house audience as shown above. Let the movie roll.
Norm heading down the long, winding, 100 vertical foot drop walkway to visit the Spruce Tree House - the third largest and best preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.
Pam is prepared with an 8 oz bottle of water in her purse. But the (!) mark gives pause. What are we getting into here, anyway? The other 3 "NO"s taken together are bound to offend at least 90% of of the visitors who don't die of thirst first. On the way down it became readily apparent that the morning chill had gone so Norm, who had previously stripped off his sweatshirt now also abandoned his long sleeve shirt. Pam ditched her sweater, but modesty prevented her from removing more.
This village was occupied by Ancestral Puebloans between about A.D. 1200 - 1280 - a great deal of dating hereabouts is done by tree ring data determined by the support logs used in construction. Many modern day Puebloans evidently take offense at describing their ancestors as "Anasazi", which translates to "ancient ones", but can also mean "ancient enemies". It is a Ute word later adopted by the Navaho. Hence, when socializing please keep in mind - it's Ancestral Puebloans.
The inside of a kiva. People would sit around the perimeter - used primarily for ceremonial use, not daily living.
This guy's eaten one to many burgers - or else he needs to up the stomach crunches.
Pam climbing down to view one of the kivas at Spruce Tree House. The opening was too small for Norm.
Inside the kiva. The reconstruction of one at Aztec Ruins yesterday was so much more inviting
Following is a pan shot of Spruce taken by Pam. You are there.
Next on our tour was the Pithouse. Earliest evidence dates to about A.D. 550-600 of Ancestral Puebloans living in shallow pits dug into the ground, covered with pole and mud roofs and walls, with entrances through the roofs. This is pretty basic living. Unfortunately the fires inside would eventually super-dry the wood used and the place would go up in smoke. Many, many have been found burned thusly. Sleep well at night.
This is the Navajo Canyon view - once a continuous landmass, it has been cut into a series of several smaller mesas.
Just an impressive view. Did Ancestral Puebloans take the time to "admire the view"?
Our next stop was Square Tower House Overlook - a beautiful cliff dwelling built in an alcove in the upper walls of Navajo Canyon. The name came from the four-story high structure still standing against the curving back wall of the alcove, seen in the right center of two of the photos below. We are talking about some serious engineering skills here. And then there came a time when these amazing dwellings were sealed and abandoned. The people moved on. Those who came after venerated the dwellings as they happened to visit them, but they abided in silence until "rediscovered" by settlers.
Time had taken its toll on the structures. It seems that when they were lived in they required continual maintenance. This view shows scaffolding in place to bring the square tower a further lease on life.
This view is as it was in the heyday of Mesa Verde.
At this next stop, the site shows significant architectural developments - the trend toward deeper pithouses, and the move from pithouses to aboveground dwellings.
In photos above and below can be seen the preservation efforts, as well as the "spare no expense" protective structures in which the digs reside.
The Ancestral Puebloans repeatedly chose to build and rebuild their homes over several hundred years. This site shows three building sequences - the earliest village had post and adobe walls, the second was of single-course masonry, and the third was of double-course masonry. Each village was superimposed on the other, and only a little evidence of each is exposed now.
This view at Sun Point is one of the best in Mesa Verde. We were able to see a dozen cliff dwellings set in alcoves high in Cliff and Fewkes Canyons.
Oak Tree House is best known for its circular wall in the rear of the alcove, made of willow and other sticks set in mortar. This cliff dwelling had 50 rooms plus four known kivas.
It was determined that this large 30-room building was constructed for worship. Geometric designs were inscribed on the face of some of the stones. The design with carefully selected stones indicate it was well thought out - but the building was never finished. They don't know why.
Cliff Palace is not only Mesa Verde's largest cliff dwelling, it is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. it contains 23 kivas, 150 rooms with 100 inhabitants at its height in the 1200's. It is thought that Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.
We had lunch at the Spruce Tree Terrace. After all the walking, we were ready for a beer!
On our way back to the lodge, we still had the road to ourselves. The entire right side of the road, off into the distance, is lined off for 46 (count them) parking spaces sitting forelornly empty.
This is our view from our room this afternoon. Rain drops started about 4pm and led to a rainbow. We figure this is a good sign!
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