We spent 2 nights at Mesa Verde, camping in the park. The site was incredible. ..remote, beautiful, full of mystery and magic. We arrived in the late afternoon and set up out camp. After the KOA parking lot camping, this was wonderful. Up on the Mesa at about 8000 feet, it was cool and had a sky dark enough to see the milky way. We had a view of mountains on two sides. There were some noisy neighbors, but it was idyllic other than that. We booked two tours of the cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace the first afternoon and Long House the second morning. We cooked dinner, did laundry, and went to bed.
The next day, we woke up early (thanks noisy kids) and drove the 14 miles within the park to the sites. We stopped at several of the overlooks and did several short hikes. After a quick lunch, it was time for our tour. Cliff Palace was amazing. Some steep slopes and a couple of ladders up a crevice, but that was much easier than the way the ancient people did it, with finger and toeholds carved into a sheer cliff face. I don't understand what could have pushed them to live in the cliff
houses. Just getting 100 people, men women and children, there must have cost some lives. Nevermind timber, carved stone bricks, food, trips up to tend crops. ..it is thought to be a matriarchal society. .what was worth that extraordinary effort and loss of life?
After our tour, we got to watch some Hopi dancing and then took showers, played a couple of rounds of Codename, and went to the lodge for dinner. It was a disappointing meal, but the views were great. And the best part. ..we saw a beautiful buck and then a herd of elk in the valley. We have been disappointed in the lack of big mammals this trip, but here Jeremiah saw some deer, and then this wonderful evening.
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