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Mesa Verde NP
Square Tower House, A.D. 1200-1300 We slept in until 7 this morning, then lazed around enjoying coffee and breakfast. Today we all planned to visit Mesa Verde NP, but Bob and Gena were interested in touring the cliff dwellings, while Kerry and I knew we couldn't, so we agreed to take two separate vehicles.
Our first stops in the park were the Montezuma Valley overlook, which gave a great view of (surprise!) the Montezuma Valley and the town of Cortez. Then on to Park Point overlook with its 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside, including the snow-capped San Juan mountains to the north and Ship Rock to the south. It was a clear and bright morning and we could see four states. After getting a patch and a stamp at the Visitor Center, we decided we'd check out the Mesa Top Loop, which promised easy walks to pit houses and canyon overlooks. It was all pretty impressive and I especially liked seeing the cliff dwellings across the canyons. Square Tower House was the only cliff dwelling we saw on our side of the canyon, visible from an outcropping of rock. Cliff Palace is the largest and most detailed of the cliff dwellings and seemed
Mesa Verde NP
view across Navajo Canyon quite magical.
Bob chose the Balcony House tour, which the brochure terms "the most adventurous," and involved climbing a 32' ladder to enter, crawling through a 12' long, 18" wide tunnel to exit, then a 60' climb up the face of the cliff on ladders and stone steps. Gena took the Cliff Palace tour, which included five 8-10' ladders for a 100' vertical ascent. Kerry and I strolled down paved walkways which were mostly fairly level.
It's a beautiful park, worth visiting more than once.
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Tom Thomas
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First long motorcycle trip out west.
Mesa Vera was one of the locations I touch on when I went out west with my goldwing. Take care, think about you both often. Tom