Indian Country - Mesa Verde CO

It's just a few hours drive north from Aztec to cross over the border into Colorado. Although I've lived in Colorado it's taken this trip to fully realize why the Spanish explorers called this area "colored rocks."

Add another state to our RV travels

The Animus River runs long the highway

After breezing through Durango, we soon come to the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park, which is no doubt the most visited of any of the ancient pueblo sites in the southwest. People first occupied this region at least 1400 years ago. At first they lived in pit houses up on the mesas growing corn, squash and beans. Then over the years they moved down into more sophisticated dwellings nestled in the cliffs. The in the late 1200's AD they slowly abandoned these homes... only a few generations after the fall of Chaco Canyon. It's thought that the Mesa Verde Anasazi were able to survive the great drought and accompanying cultural chaos better than other pueblos due to their more favorable rainfall and more defensible dwellings. Still they eventually left as well.

Yes, snow capped mountains this has got to Colorado

Entrance to Mesa Verde National Park

Since it's May, the park isn't too crowded yet (even though there are more than we've seen elsewhere). We stop at the Visitors' Center to scope out the park and sign up for two ranger led tours the next day. At $5 each per person, they are a good deal.

Sculpture at entrance to Visitors' Center

Peter stops for a photo before we go in

Nice statue of an ancient maiden potter

Only about half of the campground is open. We don't have any trouble finding a site we like, but we are amused at watching some of the larger rigs circle around trying to find a spot that will accommodate them. We get a giggle out of one family who seems to have brought their whole household with them including a large motor home towing an SUV covered in bicycles. Later walking around the campground, I notice they finally found a spot. They apparently also brought the family cat, who coolly regards me snapping photos of him in his lofty perch. 

Our campsite at Mesa Verde

Family cat in window of large RV

The view from our campsite

The next morning we saddle up and drive the last few miles up into the park to see the ruins.

The Road to Ruin(s)

Hey Peter look - a school bus of Hopi kids are here

After parking the van, we meet up with our Cliff Palace Tour. With all the people milling around it appears to be one of the more popular tours. With over 150 rooms, Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the park.

Cliff Palace

Canyon in front of Cliff Palace

After meeting our tour guide, PT (which he jokes stands for Part Time), we head down the steep stairs and back up a narrow ladder (my most un-favorite part of seeing ruins) before catching a good view of the ruins.

Down steep stairs between large boulders

I can do it... it's only a short ladder

The tour group before us circles around the main Kiva

Finally we it's our turn to walk through the ruins. The stone work and setting are truly amazing. PT points out the parts of the ruins were we see blacken cave ceilings are where people lived. Other parts were used either for ceremonial or storage purposes.
The Hopi kids are on the same tour and we get a big kick out of watching their reactions to this ancient pueblo built by their ancestors.

PT quizzes the kids on the parts of a Kiva

Short deflector wall helps ventilation and the fire going

The small Sipau hole is the symbolic passage from the lower world from whence their ancestors came

All in all the Hopi students are a very well behaved group. Just as we were leaving, they started singing a lovely haunting song dedicated to this place and their ancestors. We could not have planned a more fitting end to this tour.

Hopi students snapping photos of themselves in the ruins

Original interior white plaster with reddish artwork on the walls

Hopi students singing to Cliff Palace and their ancestors

 After driving to the other side of the canyon, we get a final look at Cliff Palace.

Cliff Palace - Mesa Verde

Our next tour is of Balcony House, which at 40 rooms is smaller and also more challenging to tour. Before we leave the parking lot, our Ranger guide again warns us about the many ladders and narrow passages we need to negotiate to get both in and out of the ruins.  I figured I handled Cliff Palace just fine so this one should be a piece of cake.

Ranger led orientation

Down a steep narrow trail

Now that's a major ladder - gulp!

Peter takes the camera as he wants to document my climbing this long ladder. I force myself to look at only the next rung and to be careful of my footing. Whew - am I glad to make it to the top. Nooo... I'm not afraid of heights - not one bit.

Haaaah - made it!

Now I can watch the rest of the group

We assemble at the top of the ladder

This cliff dwelling is particularly well defended against unwanted invaders. With continuing drought conditions causing shortages of basic necessities of food and water, the last surviving dwellings of the Anasazi are defensive structures. Long ladders can quickly be drawn up to prevent entry from below.

Cliff House

Our Ranger demos how corn is ground with a metate/mano

Outline of rooms with metate/manos

The only other entrance/exit to Cliff house is a tunnel through a narrow passage. We have to crawl on our hands and knees to get through the tunnel. Defenders could easily bonk undesirables on the head as they attempt to invade through this tunnel.

People line up to exit through the tunnel

One last look at Balcony House before we exit

Yes - I made it through. It wasn't so bad

Our next stop is Spruce Tree House where we take a self guided tour. As we walk down the path to the ruins, we pass some birders who are excited over discovering a Great Horned Owl perched close to its nest. Although Peter spots it fairly quickly, it takes me longer to see it. The birders are even able to see the owlets with their naked eyes... which I never see until looking at these shots from our newest and strongest telephoto. Those birders certainly have sharp eyes.

Great Horned Owl - notice owlet spreading wings lower right

Is that one or two owlets?

Wow - its two owlets. One is much larger than the other

After the excitement of the owls, we continue on down into Spruce House.

With the blackened ceilings, this area must be living quarters

Red ocher painted decoration on interior wall

At 130 rooms, Spruce House is the third largest of the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde.

Spruce House complete with a spruce tree on the right

As we wind up the day, we stop at view sites along the Mesa Top Loop Road.

Sun Temple ceremonial ruins

Unusual square shaped building

The most impressive ruin along this drive is Square Tower House. The five to six story square tower was the tallest man-made structure in the United States until the 1800's.  These square towers are more common in the later stages of the Anasazi culture. Perhaps they were easier to defend?

Square Tower House

Seeing these last remaining settlements of the Anasazi culture suffering from climate change and perhaps environmental depletion as well, gives us pause about the fate of our own culture as we face possible drastic climate changes to come.