Mesa Verde National Park, CO. Day 2

9/28/09



There is a lot to see and do in Mesa Verde national Park, so we decided to take another trip up the mountain. I was surprised Joe was willing to make the trip up and down again, as it stresses him out. I won't even try to drive as it freaks me out, and I would be driving about 10 miles an hour. Before we headed to the park we unhooked from our campground, La Mesa RV Park, in Cortez and drive to Wal-Mart for a cheap stay. Camera is on the right setting as we start the climb. Two minutes up. Going into the very long tunnel, through a large mountain. New tree growth around all the burned dead trees.Why is it as you get older, you appreciate so much more God's beauty. I got out of the car here and crossed the road and sat amongst the flowers and just took it all in! This spot was the best spot on the whole trip up. Still taking it all in. Filling my spirit with his love and healing. These places are so good for the soul and spirit, in this hurried and troubled world. As I breath in the beauty is absorbed into my soul.This road trip has been an endless trip of his Majesty. How blessed are we to be able to connect with him with his endless Love. Farther up we see a lake below. Today seems to be a clearer day. I know it seem to be a lot of pictures, but it is so hard to cut so many out. In just this day I took 208 picture. Half because I was so excited at the views, and the other half because picture taking distracts me from looking at the drop off cliff along the road. You just can't get the drop off views to show in these pictures. Next we visited the Spruce Tree House. This cliff dwelling is the best preserved one found. To get to it you need to walk down a steep trail. This ladder is the entry into a Kiva. (Ceremonial and gathering place). It looked dark inside until you climbed down the ladder. The roof is not the original, but built the way it was originally. Logs across the top then stoned and plastered. Nice and cool down there, but time is wasting. A look at a Kiva in it's surrounding area without a roof. Inside the Kiva. This is where the women would kneel and grind corn, nuts, berries and roots on the large flat stone with the rock.This is a picture of the Balcony House I shot from across the canyon. We didn't go in this one because of time and because you had to climb a 32 foot ladder, then crawl through a 12 ft -long tunnel. then climb up a 60 ft open cliff face with stone steps, and 2 10 ft ladders. I was happy I got through Cliff Palace. I didn't want to press my luck, and $ 15,000. Next we drove to Far View Sites Complex, which were villages lived in before the people moved to cliff dwellings. They don't know why they moved to the cliff, but think it was for protection from other tribes. We ate our sack lunches here before visiting the site and walking a short trail to other sites. Time to head down the mountain before it gets dark, and to enjoy what I felt was the best part of the park, the fall colors. View of part of the many scary roads. But great views. Click , click, click. View out of our Nest window at Wal-Mart.

No mater where you are, even at a Wal-Mart, you can have a great sunset. If only we all had the time to enjoy them.