Last full day at Mesa Verde

Today started on a not so great note. We were preparing to head out for the day's sightseeing and pulled into the campstore area for a quick check of messages. My credit card had been hacked (again). Seems like it happens every time we travel and when it is most inconvenient. I called Chase and we worked out some details, but we'll be using one of Phil's cards for most of the rest of the trip.

After that setback, we headed for Spruce Tree House. It is the most intact of the cliff dwellings and in 2004 we were able to visit it. I think we also visited in 2016. Now it is closed due to an earthquake making a large Crack unstable. You can still view it from above, but not visit as before.

This is a special place for us. It was our first vacation together when we were dating. We bought a signed print together here 22 years ago called "Spruce Tree House: through the doorway of time." We had it framed and it has been in our living room since and people always admire it. Today we bought a print poster of "Nevada Horses" which was commissioned by the Park Service to a Navajo artist in 1933. The original is in the Spruce Tree House Museum. We'll have it framed to go with our other poster.

We watched the park service movie which focuses on dispelling the myth that the Ancient Ones just "disappeared" , but moved away further south to become 23 different related tribes. Their oral stories tell of these ancient ancestors and many customs still are celebrated today.

After a picnic, we came back to get a shower and run a last load of laundry. Tomorrow we will move on the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We have 2 nights in Dead Horse State Park and 2 at Utahraptor. Only Utahraptor has showers, but both have electricity. Utahraptor also has fossilized raptor footprints. Both are north of Moab near the National Parks and have more services for campers.Read more