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| The Cliff Palace |
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| Serious camper! |
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| Self Explanatory! |
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| Silky Sands! |
2 to 5 July 2010
The trip started at Fort Collins. We started off on a Thursday night around 8:30 pm with ice cold coffee. The drive was nice and cool. We stopped over at a rest area for a couple of hours and by 8 in the morning we reached our destination The Mesa Verde. We shaved off time traveling at night but one point worth considering is trying not to speed. We unfortunately fell into that trap only to get pulled over. Besides that the trip went smoothly without a hitch, I must say flawless J
Day 1
By 8 am we reached the Farview Visitors Center. We purchased tickets for the 3 guided tours. We had breakfast at the Farview Dining center. The food was pretty decent. After that we headed for the Long house Kiosk. It’s a 45 minute drive from the Visitors center. Don’t be surprised not to find any mile markers on the way…just keep goin u cannot go wrong. The tour begins with a short trek downhill a numer of steps down the side of the mesa. The first sight of the cliff dwelling just makes u wonder how the Anasazi ancestors even managed to get here without falling out. The dwellings in the alcoves are so perfectly camouflaged one would never expect to find anyone living here. We walk through the dwelling with the guide n the group and walk back. We then take the tram ride around the area which passed through the acres of burnt forests from a forest fire almost 10 years ago. We stop at the Badger Community house and see some of the other remains of dwellings. The tram stops at other overlooks on the way in n the loop. We then took a short hike down to the Step House dwelling without a guide. It started raining by the time we were ready to walk up. We then head to the Morefield Campground. We had carried our camping equipment with us so all we did was book a campsite for a day. There were quite a few empty spots still available. While dinner was getting ready the tent was pitched. After going back and forth as to whether we need to pack up camp and head to a hotel or brave the stormy night in the little tent, exhaustion just made us stay. The tent definitely held its footage and though it was scary for us amateur campers to be sleeping in a tent while it was thundering and lightening all night it sure felt great the next morning that we did.
Day 2
We started the day with warm showers at the campsite which was definitely a treat followed by breakfast at the Farview Dining center. We then made it to the Cliff Palace guided tour. This is one of the largest cliff dwellings in the national park. Right after that we did the Balcony house tour which was a little different; this dwelling was more at the side of the mesa instead of being located in a pocket in crevice of the mesa. Climbing those ladders and crawling in those spaces was definitely a unique experience. The drive along the mesa loop was worth the while. We stopped for a wee bit at the Sun point view overlook absorbing in the view.
Lunch was the Navajo Taco a house specialty at the dining center which was a treat. We picked souvenirs and headed to the Spruce Tree House where you could actually climb down into a reinstated kiva. This trail however is pretty crowded and by this point we had seen pretty much everything so we went through it pretty quickly. We made a passing visit at the Chapin Mesa Museum and the Farview sites which is worth a quick stop By now we are absolutely saturated with the cliff dwellings, kivas and the landscape which was fine cause we had covered pretty much a bit of everything the place had to offer. One point of concern is that the nearest gas station is miles away so we had to drive outside the park to fill up on gas. We spent a relaxed evening at our campsite turning in early.
Day 3
We wake up early, pack up our tents and head to the Four Corners Monument. The landscape changes drastically towards the monument to being arid, dry and desolate. To our luck however the monument was under construction and we had return disappointed. We then drive to the Great Sand Dunes. The drive was beautiful through the Rio Grande National Forest, ranches and canyons and quaint little towns Mancos, Pagosa Springs and Delnorte. We made it to the Great Sand Dunes Lodge late in the afternoon. We had to reserve the place in advance and it was worth it. From the patio you could see the dunes and the Mountain beyond it in its entire splendor if I may sayJ. After a short nap we head to the dunes and begin hiking. It was early in the evening so it wasn’t really hot but was nice and warm. It took us close to 2 hours to get to the top of the High Dune. The view from up there was worth the climb. You definitely need to take care of your camera up there cause the wind can get sand in every inch of the camera. The descent was pretty easy and was a comfortable walk back. After a quick dinner we crash in clean sheets in a soft comfy bed.
Day 4
After a sound nights sleep we wake up to sit for a couple of minutes in the patio absorbing the view. We then head for a short short hike to the Zapata falls. It was fun stepping over rocks to get to the base of the fall. You may have to step into the water a little to get to the base but its worth it. With that we wrapped up our trip and drove back home. The drive back was pleasant and fortunately uneventful; which is a good thing sometimes!
That’s how the 4th of July 2010 flew by!!! Now back to work, to lie low until the next trip ciao!
