Road Trip!
~ Four Corners ~ Mesa Verde ~ Natural Bridges ~
Our first day at Mesa Verde was cold & snowy! When we woke up at the hotel we had a good inch, if not more, of snow on the ground. It was cloudy and cold. When we arrived at the park, we learned that only Spruce Tree House and Balcony House were open. But, the mesa top loop and hiking trails were open. Turns out, that was plenty for us to do! We're already planning our next trip there, to see what we couldn't this time. Leaving the visitor's center, we drove to the ruins through the clouds and fog. We drove up to Chapin Mesa to begin with Spruce Tree House. Spruce Tree House was named for a tree that grew in front of it 100 years ago when it was discovered. However, the tree was not a spruce. Kinda funny... Anyhow, it's is a self-guided tour, but there are Rangers there to answer questions. (And, I'm sure, keep people from going where they should not!)
I have a small confession to make... I am a shutterbug. I love to take pictures of things that catch my eye. I am absolutely positive my husband views my digital SLR camera as a wise investment, saving him lots of money on film and developing. So, that being said, this post is rather long. Just giving a heads up!
Here's Spruce Tree House as viewed from near the beginning of the trail. You have to descend one side of the canyon and then up again to reach the dwelling.
A cactus growing out of the rock that caught my eye...
The Ancient Puebloans would build these upper rooms to use as food storage. They'd carve hand and foot holds in the cliff faces in order to reach them. These are on a ledge near Spruce Tree House.
Looking through a doorway into a room, and beyond. Shows the depth of the dwelling.
The three holes are doors to kivas - round, underground ceremonial rooms. I love this view - you can totally see a city street here. Notice some of the doors are T-shaped, others are not. No one knows why they shaped some this way, and others are just square. I think maybe it was to accommodate people carrying things, or maybe they were used more so they were made to accommodate shoulders. Just one more Mesa Verde mystery...
Looking to the left of the above view. Some rooms have two stories, some only one depending on space available. The ceilings are black from fires used for cooking and warmth.
A view from the right, looking back
There was a kiva we were allowed to climb down in. Here's Hope as she's almost all the way in, and Hannah getting ready to climb down.
Hannah climbing in!
And Hayleigh...
Inside the kiva... In here it was relatively warm - we were out of the wind!
Climbing out!
James emerging from the kiva... I believe I have a picture of him, like this, from our honeymoon. Hard to believe it's been nearly 23 years!
A few more shots as we were leaving...
That wrapped up Spruce Tree House, and we were on to the Cliff Palace Loop. Even though it was closed for repairs, we could still view it from the overlook where the tours begin. A Ranger was even there to chat with!
Another small ruin across the canyon
More dwellings visible at the next overlook we stopped at. This one is in the middle of the cliff.
This one was tucked into the side of the cliff we were standing on at the overlook.
This is House of Many Windows... It is in the center of the photo, but kinda hard to see...
And yet another tucked into the cliff under the overlook...
Now, it was about time for our tour of Balcony House, so we headed over there. With Balcony House, there's a lot of climbing and stairs. And ladders. 32 feet tall, to be exact... For those of us who are not fond of heights, just keep looking up.
It was wide enough to climb two abreast. Here's Hayleigh & Hannah going up...
And then, if that wasn't enough, you go through this tiny little hall and up another ladder. Thankfully, not another 32 feet...
And out this rather small opening. I am of the opinion these Ancestral Puebloans were rather small in stature... And, I believe I have another picture of James coming out of this opening, from 23 years ago!
Pictures of Balcony House...
There were probably 40-50 people on our tour. I am pretty proud of myself for capturing most of these without other people in them! We wrapped up our day after Balcony House. The sun was finally starting to break through the clouds, but it was still pretty cold and we were done... Driving through the park, it was astonishing to see the scale of the wildfires that burned in 1996. We stopped to snap a few pictures of the burned trees. Most of them burned from the inside, so the outside appears mostly uncharred. James gets the credit for these...
Stay tuned for day 2!
~Kel
