Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado – 4/16/2015 – http://fulltimetimeshare.com/blog

April 16, 2015 (Thursday)

Woke up to a mix of blue and gray skies. Looked like a storm was trying to come through. The temperature throughout the day went from the low 30’s to the mid-40’s.

We got up and had our breakfast and coffee, then left around 10:00 AM. We went back to Mesa Verde National Park. We felt we got to see and do a lot on our visit there on Monday, but we wanted MORE! It’s such a beautiful park and so much to see. We were hoping they had more tours as we so enjoyed the Balcony House tour.

The drive to the park was interesting in that as we went past Mancos, close to the park, we saw some irrigating sprinklers going but it was freezing. Quite beautiful and weird as the temperature was around 37 degrees and it shouldn’t have been freezing.

Irrigation that was freezing, so strange.

No sense in physics, so maybe a supernatural event?

As we were driving we couldn’t figure out which way the dark clouds were blowing. We hoped we wouldn’t get wet before the day was done. We stopped at the visitor’s center to check on tours. We were told the only tour available this time of year was the Balcony House.

We got into the park and decided to go to the Museum and do the Spruce House self-guided tour. The information for the Spruce House says you go down about 100 feet in elevation and walk about a quarter mile. I do believe they lie on the information brochure as it felt like we dropped at least 500 feet and walked at least a mile. It was (again) so worth it. Pretty amazing what the ancient Pueblo people were able to accomplish with rock. What I really appreciated was that we could go down into a kiva that had the roof on it. In the kiva at Balcony House, I wasn’t able to visualize what it would look like. In Spruce House you get to see it and understand completely how it all worked together.

Spruce House from the other side with the long lens.

Looking back up at the administration buildings, built with ruble from the cliff dwelling. — Looking back up at the administration buildings.

Very well preserved for almost a thousand years.

The rangers are great, explaining so much.

Carbon, soot on the ceilings from the fires.

The two sticks are a ladder that go into a kiva. It is their main living area. Every time they went in and out it was a reenactment of the creation story and the story of birth.

Most kiva's have lost their roof. — Most kiva’s have lost their roof. They look like a hole in the ground. The half pillars are the support for the logs that form the roof. Mud and stone are put on the logs and it becomes a very solid surface. A ranger told us most of the timbers were taken by early settlers for firewood. From inside the kiva it’s a roof, and outside and on top – it’s a floor.

Logs are placed from pillar to pillar diagonally.

Once the outside frame is finished then cross members go on with mud mortar.

The ceiling, and from on top, the floor.

Original finish, pretty nice. The fireplace would vent smoke up its chimney, the heat would bounce off the small wall in front of the fireplace and circulate in the kiva and then exit the entry point in the top.

The walk down to the Spruce House was also very beautiful in that all the spring plants and flowers were blooming. Loved it. One Park Ranger said he had never seen so much Oregon Grape blooming so early. He also said everything else was blooming earlier than he had seen. So glad we got to experience it.

After Spruce House we went through the Museum. A great little place with lots of information. We walked up to the Spruce Tree House store and cafe, where we looked at all the neat things in the store, bought a magnet, and then had lunch. We both had the white bean and chicken chili. Just as good as it was on Monday (more so in that I didn’t have to share my bowl with Michael).

A picture in the Museum that caught Edie's eye and reminded her of one she really liked in Italy. — A picture in the Museum that caught Edie’s eye and reminded her of one she really liked in Italy.

Got in our car and spotted a deer before leaving the parking lot.

After lunch we did the Mesa Top Loop and stopped at most of the pull-overs. We even went to most of the pit houses. Such an amazing park. Love it here. Wish we had two or three weeks to spend. Michael and I have talked and have already decided we’re coming back and going to spend much more time.

Just a few, very few of the photo's we took today. — Just a few, very few of the photo’s we took today.

This one is called Dance House. There is no evidence that anyone ever lived here. A huge fire pit, no good for cooking but full of ashes. They think this was a ceremonial structure.

This two story complex was connected with a ladder and holes in the rock.

This one is called the House of Many Windows.

After the Mesa Top Loop, we drove out of the park but stopped at the Park Point Overlook, the highest point in the park. We walked up to the top and got some great pictures. Some of the views we saw were almost fifty miles away (Shipwreck Rock). Stunning.

We left and drove home, expecting rain but never getting any.

Headed home and the ice from irrigation was still there. All the makings of a Stephen King novel.

We decided to go to the BBQ place that smelled so good and is next door to the Wyndham Durango, T’s Smokehouse and Grill. Pretty good stuff. I got the BBQ beef, Michael got the pulled pork.

After we ate we went up to our home and watched the news. Apparently there was a bad storm in Denver. Glad we didn’t get it here.

That was our day. Hope yours was great!