• Two to TravelT2Ts 2022 Phx Cruiser JourneysTwo to Travel
    Lookout Point Butte — Mesa Verde NP, CO.
    "The Ancient Ones" ... at the Visitor Center — Mesa Verde NP, CO.House with Many Windows ... Cliff Palace Loop — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Hemenway House ... named for a woman who played a critical role in the creation of Mesa Verde NP.1From one of the Cliff Palace Loop overlooks — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Cliff Palace from the Overlook — Mesa Verde NP, CO.A "we did the Cliff Palace Hike" selfie — Mesa Verde NP, CO.View of the Cliff Palace from the trail — Mesa Verde NP, CO.A closer look at a portion of the Cliff Palace — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Cliff Palace thru the Window — Mesa Verde NP, CO.To get back to the top, first we have to squeeze through this narrow slot — Mesa Verde NP, CO.After the slot, we have to climb these two steep ladders — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Here I am at the base of the third and final ladder to the top of the cliff.Lunch with a view — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Spruce Tree House is another cliff dwelling — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Plateau Fence Lizard ... not the least bit shy — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Pipe Shrine House ... Far View Community — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Coyote Village ... Far View Community — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Far View Tower — Mesa Verde NP, CO.Roadside view — Mesa Verde NP, CO.

    Mesa Verde NP: Cliff Palace & More

    September 20, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Today was the first of the two days we set aside for visiting Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP) … and what a day it was. Not only did the weather cooperate — at least until mid-afternoon — but we also got to visit the amazing 150-room dwelling known as the Cliff Palace.

    MVNP was established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. According to the signage at the visitor center, it is the only national park in the US that was created specifically to “… preserve Ancestral Pueblo culture and prehistoric architecture. … the extraordinary record of these Pueblo people who made Mesa Verde their home for over 750 years, from AD550 to AD1300.”

    While the Cliff Palace (accessible only with a ranger-assisted hike) was definitely the highlight of our day, we also explored other parts of the Chapin Mesa area.

    Our explorations took us to the Spruce Tree House, where we knew we’d get little more than a distant view because this cliff dwelling is closed for restoration. I had hoped to hike down to the petroglyphs from there, but the gathering storm clouds and the blazing heat put the kibosh on those plans. Maybe next time.

    We also stopped at the Far View Community … which predates the cliff dwellings. This was an Ancestral Puebloan farming community that supported dozens of families … starting around AD800. Despite the growing storm clouds, we headed off to walk the ¾-mile trail here. Alas, rain began to fall about halfway into our walk so we had to speed up our pace … not much dallying along the way.

    Our second day at MVNP will be spent exploring the Weatherill Mesa area. We will have to wait until Saturday to do that, however, as heavy rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days.

    P.S. Before you all ask! We skipped the Balcony House tour. My knees screamed that crawling through a 12-foot tunnel was going to be a no-no! Nor could I see my occasional bouts of vertigo allowing me to walk up the steps carved into the cliffside or climb a 32-foot ladder to get up to the top of the cliff.    Read more