Stayed in Cortez, CO as we were too late to get into the Mesa Verde National Park Visitor Center, which was 20 miles from entrance station.
Went for Mexican food and delicious berry and citrus margaritas.
We got up at 6 and headed out so we could get to MVNP before it got too late. “With over 52,000 acres, Mesa Verde preserves and protects nearly 5,000 archeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings and over 3 million associated objects in the research collection.” “The earliest known inhabitants of Mesa Verde were the Modified Basket Makers, descendants of a people who lived in the Four Corners area. They built subterranean pit houses about AD 500-750. From AD 750-1100 these cliff dwellers perfected their living quarters, building kivas (ceremonial rooms) and masonry houses around open courts (pueblos). From AD 1100-1300 arts and crafts reached their peak. Around 1200 they moved into the alcoves for reasons that remain unknown and built cliff dwellings. Sometime about 1276 a drought struck and last 24 years. The resulting crop failures of beans and corn, depletion of resources, other environmental problems and possible conflict may have driven the people from Mesa Verde in search of a more reliable water supply and improved living conditions.” We visited a cliff dwelling called Spruce Tree House where it was estimated that 60-80 people would have lived. This is Mesa Verde's best preserved and third largest cliff dwelling that was constructed between AD 1211 and 1278. It contains 130 rooms and 8 kivas. We were able to go down into a kiva and took a ladder to get down.
Traveling to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and had to go through a mountain range of 14,000 foot elevation and there was snow on the roadside. At the top was Wolf Creek Ski Area. Dave wanted to hurry and get off the “hill”.
Arrived at Great Sand Dunes National Park and that is an amazing site. In the summer the sand temperature can reach 140 degrees F. Visitors can climb the dunes and camp on them too. “Origins of the Dunes – where did they come from? Most of the sand originated in the San Juan Mountains, over 65 miles to the west. The larger, rougher grains and the pebbles originate in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains. How did it get there? Wind and water are the primary movers of the grains. Streams, creeks, melting snows, and flash flood brought bits of rock out of the mountains to the valley floor. Southwesterly winds then began the slow process of bouncing the grains toward the low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. There they piled up at the base of the mountains or dropped into creeks to be washed back out toward the valley floor. How old are they? Age estimated range from 12,000 years to over a million years. Why are they so tall? At least two factors are responsible. Huge quantities off sand are carried downstream by Medano Creek, then redeposited by the southwesterly winds on the eastern edge of the dunefield, accounting for the very tall dunes in that area. Also, less common but stronger winds blow from the northeast. These northeasterlies blast through the passes and pile the dunes back upon themselves, producing startlingly crisp ridges and the tallest dunes in North America.” They can reach heights of 750 feet. There are critters who call this place home – kangaroo rat, pronghorn antelope, and beaver to name a few.
After viewing the Dunes we drove to Colorado Springs and will be staying at Rodeway Inn for the night. We again had a Mexican dinner, which means margaritas!
When we were in the Grand Canyon I was remembering the episode of The Brady Bunch when they took a trip down into the Canyon on mules. Even Alice the maid went. Also I looked for Yosemite Sam - “north, south, east and west of the Pecos.”. Can you tell I liked to watch TV when I younger?
Tomorrow we plan to drive all day until we are tired.
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