November 2, 2020 - Mesa Verde National Park

We departed Montrose and headed south.  Our destination today was Mesa Verde National Park in the southwest corner of Colorado.  I had never heard of it -- it was not on our rough plan -- but Lynnette had and suggested going there.  It turned out to be one of the neatest stops on our entire trip.

The ride down to Mesa Verde was scenic most of the way.
   

We passed by the famous Telluride Airport, which usually makes the list of top ten extreme airports in the world.  From this picture, you can see why.  It's also surrounded by large mountains.  I'd like to land here someday -- it shouldn't be a problem in my RV-7 since it has a 7,000 foot runway.  However, the field elevation is 9,070 so you have to watch density altitude on takeoffs.  It is a non-towered airport.  The road we traveled on is in that valley to the left, so we never saw the runway.  The photo is off the internet and was taken by an RV-7 pilot.

Telluride also has a large ski resort only three miles from the airport.
   
Checking out the Lizard Head Wilderness area
   
That's Sunshine Mountain in the center (12,930 feet tall).  Behind it, unseen, are three "fourteeners" -- mountains over 14,000 feet high:  Mt. Wilson, El Diente Peak, and Wilson Peak.
   

Beautiful country.

Behind us in this picture was the Ames Power Plant, located deep in a chasm along the Lake Fork of the San Miguel River, near Ophir, built by Lucien L. Nunn in 1891.  It was one of the first (if not the first) commercial system to produce and transmit alternating current (AC) electricity for industrial use and one of the first AC hydro-electric plants ever constructed.  It became operational in 1891 and was built by Westinghouse Electric around two of their large alternators. One was set up in the valley as a generator and driven by water. It was connected by a 2.6-mile transmission line to the second alternator used as a motor up at the Gold King Mine to drive the mining operation. The facility has been changed and upgraded over the years but is still in operation.

At the time, there was a considerable national debate about the merits and safety of alternating current (AC) being tested by Tesla, versus direct current (DC) as advocated by Thomas Edison.  Nunn selected alternating current and replaced expensively-transported coal with hydroelectric power.  The new source of power was recognized as a resounding success.  Tesla had won the battle when alternating current was put to the test in the San Juan Mountains.
   
Passing through the San Juan Mountains.
   
Crossing Lizard Head Pass on State Highway 145.  Elevation 10,246.  The pass is named for a prominent nearby peak that is said to look like the head of a lizard.  We are leaving the San Miguel River Valley and entering the Dolores River Valley.
   
Coming down out of the big mountains.
   

We arrived at the Mesa Verde National Park Visitor Center at the park entrance.

This interesting sculpture out front has a Native American climbing a cliff wall loaded down with supplies.

Established by Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the park occupies 52,485 acres near the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. With more than 5,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States.  Mesa Verde (Spanish for "green table") is best known for structures such as Cliff Palace, thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America.
   

We had to drive 20 miles or so scenic drive from the Park Entrance/Visitor Center to the main park area -- where all the cliff dwellings were.

This is the Park Point Overlook.  Elevation 8,572 feet.
   
PPP
   
The fire lookout at the Park Point Overlook.  It's an excellent location for a firelooking, with an unobstructed view in all directions.  Visibility can go out to 100 miles.  In operation for 70 years, it is manned
during the high fire danger periods, May through September.
 
Apparently they don't spot all the fires, or firefighters can't get to the fire in time, because we would later drive through some burnt out areas.  In fact, since park establishment in 1906, 70% of the park has been burned by wildfires.
   
Looking south where we will be heading.
   
Looking west.  The town of Cortez -- where we had lunch -- is on the right.
   
Passing through a burnt out area.
   
Passing through an area that has not been burnt out.
   
Burnt out.
   
Half and half.
   
We started out on the Cliff Palace Loop with our first stop was at the Cliff Palace overlook.  We had no idea of what to expect.  We parked, made the short walk to the overlook, and saw this!
 
This picture does not convey how high on the cliff the dwellings are.  Essentially, they are just below the rim.  From the dwellings, it is a 700 foot drop(?) to the canyon floor.
 
In December 1888, two cowboys discovered Cliff Palace on a snowy day.
   
This picture gives you an idea how deep the canyon is.
   
In normal times, there is a ranger guided tour of the Cliff Palace.  You go down these stairs to get to it.
   
Maybe it is just as well that because of the Chinese Virus the Ranger guided tour was not being offered.
   
Looking up the canyon, called Cliff Canyon.
   
Looking across Cliff Canyon.  You can see a cliff dwelling at center, called the "House of Many Windows".  Actually, they are doors.  There were eleven rooms.
   
Another shot of Cliff Canyon.
   
Our next step was the overlook to see the Hemenway House.
   
A close up of the Hemenway House.  Occupied in the 1200s, Hemenway House has 26 rooms and one kiva.  Upper stories were added over time.  People living here were part of a larger community with Balcony House --  located in an alcove directly below us but not visible -- and other nearby sites.  Before the Chinese Virus, you could go on a Ranger guided tour of the Balcony House.
   

This shot gives a good idea of how high the Balcony House is from the canyon floor.  To access the house, the residents carved hand-and-toe holds into the cliff face, and used ropes and ladder to scale the cliff walls.

The Ancestral Pueblo people lived in this area for over 700 years.
   
Looking down Soda Canyon.
   
The Soda Canyon overlook.
   

Then we drove the Mesa Top Loop, which features the remnants of pit houses and villages representing 600 years of Ancestral Puebloan architectural development.   Plus more cliff dwellings.

This pithouse was dated around 595 AD.
   
What the first houses looked like back in the day.
   
Looking south down Navajo Canyon.  Lots of canyons around here.
   
Looking north up Navajo Canyon.
   
And directly across.
   
And down at the Square Tour House.
   

Close-up of the Square Tour House.  It's easy to see where it gets its name.

This cliff dwelling had eight kivas and at least 60 rooms.
   
Fragments of a village occupied around 850-950 AD.  In addition to pit houses, the village now had above ground rooms as well.
   
A big kiva, built around 1074 AD.   The kiva and the surrounding plaza area were the religious and sacred centers of Pueblo communities.
   
The Ancestral Puebloans moved from mesa top pueblos built on Mesa Verde to the Cliff Dwellings.  Why?  Who knows?  The Cliff Dwellings were a lot more secure -- maybe that had something to do with it.
 
Looking across Cliff Canyon at the Sunset House.
   
Looking across Cliff Canyon at the Cliff Palace.  There are three cliff dwellings to the right of Cliff Palace, including Sunset House.   The Sun Temple is on that promentory to the left.
   
A 20-room cliff dwelling between Cliff Palace and Sunset House.
   
Fewkes Canyon with a couple of cliff dwellings in it.
   
The Ancestral Pueblo people migrated from the mesa top villages to the cliff dwellings in the early 13th century, but left the cliff dwellings in the late 13th century.  By the year 1300, the canyons were quiet.
 
It could have been drought, resource depletion, or social conflicts, but like Cahokia, we will never know why they left.
 
At center is Mummy House with the Sun Temple above on the mesa top.
   
A close-up of Cliff Palace.
   

Pretty much anywhere there was an alcove, they built a cliff dwelling.

At center is Oak Tree House.
   
The Park had excellent placards describing each site.
   
The Fire Temple at far left, with the Fire Temple House at center.
   
A better shot of the Fire Temple.
   
Looking down Fawkes Canyon.
   
The Sun Temple was a structure on top of Mesa Verde.
   
Some rangers doing some maintenance on the Sun Temple.
   
Lynnette at Sun Temple point.
   
Yay, Mesa Verde!
   
One last look at the Cliff Palace.
   
We drove over to the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum which unfortunately, but not surprisingly, closed.  However, we were able to check out the nearby Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling and go on a short hike.
   
The Spruce Tree House is the best preserved cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park.  You can hike to it yourself and go on a self-guided tour but we did not have enough time.
   
 
   
This is as close as we got to the Spruce Tree House.
   
We saw these guys on our short hike.
   
Looking down the canyon which contains the Spruce Tree House.
   
 
   
Making the long drive back to the park entrance.  About halfway is the "Far View Lodge", open from late April to late October.  It might not be a bad idea to stay here if you were going to spend all day in the park going on the guide tours and hiking.
   
The drive back was pretty, with the late afternoon sun lighting things up.   Once we left the park, we headed east on Highway 160 and stayed overnight in the town of Durango about 40 miles away.
 
We might have gone to check out Four Corners Monument -- which is about 40 miles away from the Mesa Verde NP entrance to the southwest after this, but it was closed!  All it is a square outside in the middle of nowhere.
   
 
   
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