We got into Cortez, CO early enough on Thursday to go to the Visitor Center at Mesa Verde and get the lay of the land for a full day at the park on Friday.
Afterwards we settled into our campsite at the County Fairgrounds just outside the park. It was very quiet. We were the only campers. As an added bonus we got to watch people train horses in the arena.
We got up and out pretty early today and headed up to the park, and when I say “up”, I mean UP. Our campsite is at 6,100’, but the top of Mesa Verde is at 8,500’.
It’s quite the ride up the switchbacks and some people get quite anxious while not looking over the edge.
I also noticed it is a little taxing to hike at 8,500’.
No one really knows why the Pueblo Indians moved off the top of the Mesa to the cliffs of the canyon just below the rim, but the effect is incredible.
These cliff dwellings are almost 1,000 years old and are still quite stable. I wonder what the houses we build today will look like in 1,000 years.
Again, the pictures don’t do justice to what is here.
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