Far View Lodge Cortez

... along the side did not look strong enough to hold the Sequoia and 5 passengers if we strayed from the road. We joked about whether we'd have time to call 911 on our cell phones on the way down to the bottom of the canyon, and if so, if we should ask for an ambulance or the coroner... The group assembled at the infomation centre, roughly in the centre of the park. We signed up for two ranger guided tours which just cost $3 each, but had to be booked ahead ...

... their origin and the evolution of their culture. All pueblos have a kiva, a ceremonial circular room underground where there is a sipapu, a small hole in the ground representative of the place from which they emerged from underground as a people after surviving earth's near destruction three times. This is the second site where we have seen ruins of the early villages, kivas, and sipapus. Traveling into Colorado, we were amazed at the fast change ...

... by some people called the Ancestral Puebloans who lived pretty happily on top of the mesa, with corn cereal for breakfast, squash for lunch and wild turkey for dinner. Towards the end of their time at Mesa Verde (1200-1276), the Ancestral Puebloans built their villages in the sides of high cliffs under sandstone rock overhangs. Then the mystery - in 1299, just when they seemed to have the perfect lifestyle, these villages were abandoned and the ...

... to ourselves. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. With no humming cars, and no tourists (other than ourselves), you could almost imagine what it must've been like living there 700+ years ago. The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy and stressful with moving and packing/unpacking. Our enchanting 2 mile walk through Hovenweep at sunset was the perfect start to our lives here. It felt like we were right where we were supposed to be. Silas   

... monument de Natural Bridges compte trois ponts naturels en pierre; comme il est déjà plus de 15h et qu'il faut au moins une heure pour faire la boucle des 9 miles... je joue à la vraie touriste pressée qui sort de la voiture, se rend au point de vue, clic clac Kodac et repart aussitôt! Je serai bien descendue dans le canyon pour voir le pont d'en bas... mais cela prendrait trop de temps et j'ai encore une centaine de miles à parcourir pour atteindre Dolores ou ...

... though we do know that they left during a period of drought. The buildings are similar to those at Mesa Verde NP; except that the canyons were very small in comparison, so there are no "cliff" houses. On the walk back to the Visitor Center, we saw a collared lizard sunning on a rock, and I was able to take a few pictures. We have wanted to see a collared lizard since we saw a picture at Colorado NM. The Visitor ...

... departure, famine, drought, overpopulation, fire, etc., but no one will ever know for sure. Since the entire park is a World Heritage site, access to the dwellings is only with a ranger-led tour. On the way to the visitor center, we stopped at Park Point Overlook, the highest spot in the park. We hiked up to the fire lookout station at the top and could see for miles. Mesa Verde continually has lightning sparked fires and the Park Point Overlook ...

... sand on top of each layer. I also got to drive through Monument Valley. is an area of free standing sandstone rock. Unfortunately, I was unable to go through the actual park, but I did get to see a lot of it from the road I was on. Next time I guess. I arrived at Four Corners at 7pm and was able to stand in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado all at one time.It's just one of those things you have to do. I arrived in Cotez about 8 pm and where I will settle for the night.

... Mesa. I was also very impressed by the view of the Square Tower House. While one cannot tour this structure, it is easy to appreciate its architecture from the lookout point.<br><br>After our drive, we made our way back to the museum. We didn&#8217;t go back into the museum, but instead started down the path to the Spruce Tree House. This complex is the most easily accessible of all the ruins in Mesa Verde. However, the wind had almost completely died ...

... The television confirmed that the chill we&#8217;d felt while unloading the car was not in our imaginations. The temperature was in the low 40s and expected to drop into the upper 20s before the morning. It looked like we wouldn&#8217;t make it out of the Southwest before winter would arrive. This weather did not bode well for our trek through Mesa Verde National Park the next day. I wasn&#8217;t sure what it was like to hike in freezing weather, but I knew I&#8217;d soon find out.