Mesa Verde National Park

Trip Start Aug 28, 2008
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Trip End Sep 27, 2008


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Flag of United States  , Colorado,
Monday, September 15, 2008

Once we had breakfast we set out to "discover" the wonders of the National Park. Mesa Verde is an ancient Pueblo Indian site in the mountains and is over 7000ft above sea level. The views of the canyons are spectacular. Our first activity was a guided Ranger tour down to "Balcony House" which consists of the ruins of Pueblo Indian Cliff dwellings. About 40 people lived in these buildings around 1100 - 1300 AD. They built their homes/communities into the ledges of the canyons. This was spectacular and we learnt about the history of the Pueblonians and their communities, and how they lived in these times. After a snack, we hiked out to Soda Canyon Overlook to view Balcony House from the other side of the canyon.We then self-toured another site known as "Spruce Tree House" which was also an ancient Pueblo Indian site built under the ledges of the rocks in the canyon. There were about 50 rooms here, including some 3 storey buildings. Some of the buildings were original and some were fixed up by archeologists. Once again very spectacular. Balcony House View
Balcony House View
 A fascinating feature of these communities were buildings known as "Kivas" - which were round and used for ceremonies etc. Every site had kivas - the number depended on the size of the community. Each family (extended" had their own Kiva, that no other family was allowed to enter. We took a break back at the lodge, then explored the ruins of Far View - these erections were not built into the rock ledges, but on the ground and there were several communities around a particular area. We then undertook a guided tour of The Cliff Palace which was the most spectacular site of all- from the top of the mesa it looked just like a palace - over 150 rooms with towers, lots of rooms and 21 Kivas. Our guided role played the Swedish archeologist Gustov Nordenskein who escavated the site back in 1891. This was a twilight tour so the shadows of the sunset added to the atmosphere. All the sites we visited today are sacred to the Pueblo Indians. After a long day sight seeing we had dinner again at the Metate Room before heading home to bed.
PS - Ellen was, once again, caught speeding - this time by the Park Ranger - thank goodness a warning was the outcome - If there is a third time- may be a different outcome!!!
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