First National Park Stop

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We got off to a bit of a rough start - couldn't get my car on the car tow. Spent nearly 1 1/2 hours getting it done. Now that we have it figured out, we will make better time.

Set off to cross the Rockies, mid state. After looking at the map, we figured we could save some gray hair by taking a more southern route and then cross over to Mesa Verde park. It was a smoother ride - less hairpins and a lot of level driving. But there was a pretty steep grade up to Wolf Creek Ski lodge and the ride down was just as scary. Over 11,000 feet. And, yes, still snow on the ground.

We made it into Durango around 3 pm knowing we were an hour away from the Mesa Verde park. I waited a bit too long before checking on 'inside the park campsites'. By the time I found out there were no sites that would fit our camper, we couldn't turn around quickly because of the road resurfacing in the park. I was able to get a site 'across the street' but it took nearly an hour to get turned around and out the gate (only 10 miles too). We quickly hooked up, turned on the air for the kids, grabbed snacks, and unloaded the car. We were back in the park by 6:30. A lot of the guided tours were over but we could drive to see all the sights.

The Cliff Palace, former abode of Ansazi cave dwellers, was spectacular. We could not get the guided tour as we were too late but we were able to walk through other dwellings at Far View. The drive from the gate to these caves is 23 miles. I can't imagine how anyone just came across them.

Not much more to tell. The kids are restless and trying to test the seams of the motorhome. It will be a long two weeks for them.

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Photos

Fred and Ethel
They did a little of the directing

Snow Caps
Heading towards Wolf Creek