Mesa Verde and the Four Corners

---

Sorry these entries are a bit behind our schedule - we are camping quite a bit now, and can’t rely on having internet access (or phone network access come to that - which is not such a problem for me because I appear to have lost my phone! DOH!)

We travelled on to Mesa Verde, staying the night in the state park campsite. For the first time it was very cold at night, mainly due to the high elevation, but it soon warmed up to over 80 degrees during the day. Mesa Verde, a world heritage site, is internationally known for its Adobe style dwellings, home of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived in this area for over 700 years (from AD 600). Archeological excavation and recording is still very much ongoing, with over 600 archeological sites in the area.

A highlight of our visit was the Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff top dwelling in the park. It was constructed between about AD 1211 and AD 1278, with over 100 rooms and several Kivas (ceremonial chambers), all built into the overhanging rock. The rock has largely protected the dwellings from the elements, and it is remarkably well preserved because of this. The museum at the Spruce Tree House site was very informative, but we didn’t spend much time there as there was a lot more to see!

The Ancestral Puebloans built their cliff dwellings after many years living in the open spaces of the Mesa Verde - it is not clear exactly why they decided to build more permanent residences (some in very inaccessible locations), or, more puzzling still, why they chose to leave when they did. The museum contains many important artifacts of everyday life that appear to have been just left behind when the people moved on, and it is strange that such items were not carried with them.
There were many other sites to see, but disappointingly the most impressive were only available by ranger guided tours, for which you had to pay extra. As we only had a day at the park (and I didn’t fancy the hikes involved), we concentrated on the more accessible (but less impressive) sites.

The next day we decided to make a short detour on the way from Mesa Verde to Moab, to the point where the four corner states cross. We weren’t sure what to expect; we ended up staying there for several hours in order to fully appreciate all the Indian jewelry and crafts stands that circle the “four corners” monument. Highly recommended, especially for silver and turquoise jewelry; and, luckily, such items do not pose an immediate threat to our available luggage capacity (especially since we had just mailed some excess items home that morning!)

---

Photos

Camping at Mesa Verde
"Oh, you're going to pay for this big time one day!"

A foot in all four corner states
Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona

Comments

[Keith]

Camping at Mesa Verde
Oh,I love that photo and your comment Faith,you better believe it Tom, she takes after her father.Good to see you both looking so well.