Mesa Verde

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After a rainy night in Taos, the morning was cloudy and looked ominous to the west. Our route went through the mountains, the threat of rain was around us and at the highest point we were enveloped in clouds.

We drove through northern NM and southern CO on our way to Mesa Verde. I suddenly saw a new light on the instrument panel - Maint Reqd. Yes the old man forgot to get the 5K checkup on the trusty Tundra in Santa Fe. Now I was faced with the uncertainty of finding a Toyota service center in the hinter-lands of CO. Driving into Durango, Emily spotted a Toyota dealership and I took a hard right into Toyota-land. After a few moments of conversation, I felt like I was back at the ER in Santa Fe - “come back tomorrow and I will work up in”.

Here is the dilemma. 1. Mesa Verde is still 35 miles away 2. there are NO service centers closer to Mesa Verde or on the upcoming route 3. we were only going to be In MV for the rest of today and tomorrow 4. so much to see,so little time 5. what does “working you” in mean and how long will it take.

Although the choice seems obvious, the “how” was still under discussion. Results - I will leave early (7ish) and return to Durango to be worked in, Emily would sleep in, pick up supplies from a provided shopping list, hurry back to the campground and pick up Emily (if she was awake), and visit the MV ruins. The good news all was accomplished even elbowing my way into a checkout line.

The afternoon as usual was excellent. Although Emily could not go on tours or trails, I was able to get her to locations with the greatest views. One of the highlights of the day was a discussion with an archeology student looking over Cliff Palace. His knowledge of the where, when and why of the APP was great and our knowledge enhanced.

Our final stop was a view of Cliff Palace from across the canyon. We found: there were several large caves occupied by dwellings along the canyon (think sub-division), access to the canyon for hunting, travel and trade was easy, access to the plateau above for agriculture likely only required ladders, and the cliffs provided shelter from the weather and security from predators. It seemed to be an ideal location, but for some reason the APP abandoned the area around 1300.

It was a glorious day and we celebrated by washing our dirty clothes and bodies (separately of course). Next day was a long haul to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

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Photos

Cliff Palace
From above the ruins

Other Building Sites
Above the same canyon as Cliff Palace

Emily
Viewing Cliff Palace from across the canyon