We left the lodge at 7am in dark, rainy skies. Lots to see today (future alert - we pulled in to our motel 11 hours later, at 6 p.m.).
We missed the Mesa Verde visitor center on the way in - it was closed. It opened at 8 a.m. And we got there at 7:50. It took us 50 minutes to drive 21 miles from the lodge to the center.
Beautiful facility, completed in 2012.
What is it?
An Ancestral Puebloan carryng a bag of wood on his back as he uses toeholds to climb the cliff to his pueblo on high. The cliff is obviously stylized.
Not far north of Mesa Verde, in Dolores, is the building which houses the visitor center for nearby Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, but is primarily the Anasazi Heritage Center, which doubles as a research facility. Before nearby McPhee dam was built and filled in the late '80's, and thus covered scores of ancient dwelling sites, over 1.5 million artifacts were recovered. This building was built to house and research them. A wonderful museum.
Pam did try to get up closer.
Just some of whats inside. Most of the treasures are stored in the lower level.
We headed west and then south through the Monument.
At the end of a long, but quite passable dirt/gravel road we came to this pueblo site over 1,000 years old.
The original male inhabitants averaged 5'2" - 5'4", women a couple of inches shorter. For Norm, it's contortion time.
Pam not having much of an easier time of it.
This is a portion of the interior, restored and stabilized.
Bracing is modern steel, hence the caution. Not an issue with the ancients.
Hovenweep is at the south west edge of Canyon of the Ancients National Monument.
The visitors center is in the shadows, but the flag against the sky makes up for it.
Pam takes guidance seriously with her 8 oz. bottle of water being her limit.
Another place to get informed or buy a memento. Hence Norm's hands in his pockets.
At the end of the path behind Pam is a canyon.
A piece of ancient wall between us.
Looking out beyond that piece of wall are the Towers of Hovenweep. Building began around 1230 CE and was the final wave of building in the area by Ancestral Puebloans. But by the end of the 1200's the entire area began to be abandoned. No one has lived at Hovenweep for over 700 years.
Four Corners - nowhere else do four states touch. Actually going to the precise spot will take you down an unpaved road to a Navaho tourist-dollar collection shack. This brazen entrance sign which we shot did fine for us - plus the four state signs all in close proximity to each other.
Petroglyphs here date as far back as 3,000 years.
Getteng to them was messy.
The wall is BIG and extends off to the left and right out of the photo. That's Pam way off, showing the scale of the place. Not visible is a chain link fence that keeps touchy-feeley types, and worse, from getting too close.
Many petroglyphs are high on the wall, hence Norm using binoculars.
Mexican Hat Rock on the road to Monument Valley.
Too far away? Here it is closer up. Makes you want to give it a pooooosh.
The above photo too sterile? Stir in some people (we exchanged photo duties with another couple).
Monument Valley straight ahead.
Nature's fortress of doom.
This one looked like the top had been sculpted into an amphitheater..
The rock was light colored and against a suddenly pale sky had an ethereal quality.
This could almost be Devil's Tower in the Black Hills of South Dakota - except it's not.
Finally, this was a day of fabulous clouds from horizon to horizon, overhead, everywhere. Most unbelievable. We had one hard downpour while driving, but virtually no rain when it counted - when we were out walking around. So we had clouds in every shade, from snow white to ominous near black. Man may create wonders here on earth, but looking up was a wonder unequaled. In addition to appearing as background in other photos above, here is a selection presented just for clouds' sake.
We drove 358 miles today.
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