Mesa Verde National Park

 May 14, 2021

Drove to Mancos, CO home of Outback RV a small campground consisting of 8 large pull thru sites on 3 acres of the 80 acres owned by Bill.  It backs up to BLM land loaded with off road trails.

This is the side view from our site.

Here is our spacious but sparse site.

The view from the back of our site

On the way here we passed Wilson Arch outside of Moab.

Here is Sleeping Ute Mountain Range as seen from our campsite.

His head is on the right, then his folded arms, knees and foot.

Across this field we can see this beautiful Mesa in Mesa Verde National Park.

I walked up the road to Phil's World, a half mile up the road from our campsite.

"The Phil's World trail system sits atop a southwest desert mesa approximately four miles from Cortez, Colorado and consists of classic single track riding intermixed with segments of challenging slickrock."

The trails looked interesting but as it was hot and dry and I did not carry water on my exploratory walk up the road, the site of these dried bones told me time to go back.

May 15, 2021

For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past.

We headed over to Mesa Verde National Park to our pre-purchased Mug House Tour.  The tour started at 9:00 am, we needed to leave the campsite around 7:15 am. While we are only 15 minutes from the entrance of  Mesa Verde we are hour and a half from the Wetherill Mesa kiosk where we meet fifteen minutes before our tour time.

Park Ranger Jackie, also an archeologist was our guide today.

Ten of us followed her on this narrow trail.

To see Mug House

"During the winter of 1889-90, six men (five Wetherill brothers and Charles C. Mason) explored ruins of a massive multiroom Ancient Puebloan complex at the far end of the mesa. They first uncovered the Mug House site."

"The crew turned up buckskins, poetry, stone axes, and knives. But they also found three mugs tied together with a yucca cord, which gave Mug House its name."

"A year later, the Wetherill brothers returned to the site with Gustaf Nordenskiold. The 23-year-old Swedish scientist was the first to try scientifically documenting the site and the surrounding dwellings. But he was also notorious for loading train cars full of pottery and other artifacts from Mesa Verde sites, including Mug House. He shipped the pieces to Europe, and they eventually landed in the National Museum of Finland.  Today, there’s still a dispute over whether the artifacts should be returned to Mesa Verde or the ancestors of the Ancient Puebloans."

Today you can only see this with a Ranger on a tour.  We did get to climb the ladders (not original) and get a peek into some of the rooms that make up Mug House.

Volunteer Bob (74 yrs old) also came along and gave us information about the Ancestral Pueblo People that lived here.

"Unlike other archaeological sites in the park, this one has been undisturbed since its discovery and will never be fully excavated."

"Mug House itself is one of the largest complexes at Mesa Verde, with 94 rooms and eight kivas (rooms used by Puebloans for religious rituals and political meetings), possibly housing up to 80 people at its height."

Here is a kiva.  It was described today that each family had their own kiva which would have a fire in the center and a roof overhead that insulated it so well that it would be warm.  Entrance was by a ladder in the roof you would climb down.

The black stains are from smoke from fires lit to stay warm and cook.

The view from Mug House is quite lovely.

We also did a self-guided tour of Step House.

The trail down to Step House also has great views.

Our first glimpse of this cliff dwelling.

The Ancestral Pueblo People made a staircase going up this hill which led to the name Step House.

Before Cliff Dwellings, Pit Houses were used. 

"The Step House alcove is unique at Mesa Verde because it provides clear archeological evidence of two separate occupations—a Basketmaker III  pithouse community dating to early 600s CE, and a Pueblo III  masonry pueblo dating to the 1200s. Basketmaker III sites are difficult to locate within alcoves because of later cliff dwelling activity. But because the Step House pueblo was built on the south end of the 300-foot long alcove, it left at least part of the Basketmaker III site undisturbed. The six pithouses located here clearly indicate that at least some individuals chose to build their homes in alcoves a good six centuries before the construction of the now famous cliff dwellings."

"in 1926, Park Superintendent Jesse L. Nusbaum and his crew excavated the first three pithouses. They were located beneath a midden that included a two- to six-foot-deep layer of refuse such as animal bones and broken pottery that had been deposited by the later Pueblo III occupants some 500 years later."

The Ranger at the Step House pointed our the small corn cobs still here that were grown for food here.

Cliff Dwellings filled the right side of this site.

We climbed this replica ladder to get up to the higher level.

Including a kiva.  Here you can see the opening that allowed drafts in and the shield wall that protected the fire in the center.  The pillars held up the beams that supported the plastered roof.

  

Up here the corn was ground and stored in a protective space above.  As the population grew and drought years continued there was not enough food to support everyone, so if you had corn you stored it and protected it.  Eventually in the 1200s the population moved to New Mexico where there was water and better conditions for growing food.

You can see we enjoyed our tour of Step House and see that the view is nice.

Wait we are not done yet. Next trail Badger House and Long House Overlook.

"You are viewing the foundation of a pithouse built in AD 650.

Permanent homes built near cultivated fields were only one of many lifestyle changes during the Basketmaker III period (AD 550-750)."

"For two centuries Ancestral Pueblo people lived in semi-subterranean pithouses clustered in small farming settlements. Then, around AD 750, families began to move into larger communities, and dramatic changes in housing took place. People began constructing single-story pueblos above ground with side-by-side, shared walls. These curved rows of attached rooms opened to the south onto a plaza including one or more pit structures.

"Notice the keyhole shape of this kiva. Though found elsewhere, it is generally considered to be a Mesa Verde trait." The rectangular trench is a subfloor vault.

And then off to an overlook of the Long House.  (currently the Long House is closed to visitors)

Looking at the Long House from afar its easy to see how large it is.

The ladders would have been used to reach the second and third floors of the cliff dwelling.

And finally, feral horses.  The difference between wild horses and feral horses are that feral horses have an owner.  The horses here at Mesa Verde belong to their neighbor the Ute Tribe.  

The horses were rounded up and returned 10 years ago, but since food and water are more prevalent here they came back.  The horses are taking resources away from the park's deer and elk so plans are being made to send them away again.

Sunset on Sleeping Ute Mountain

May 16, 2021

Lazy day.  We attended church in person at St. Margaret Mary in Cortez.

Then we did some grocery shopping while in town.

Jim rinsed off the truck.

Then sat outside with a beer and watched some tv.

I read in the sun.

May 17, 2021

Let's start the day off with a good breakfast, add a slice a cheese for a egg & bacon muffin sandwich. 

Upon entering Mesa Verde National Park we drive 21 miles uphill to Mesa Top Loop Road. If you come to the park realize that it takes time to get to the sites you want to view even after entering the park.

"This pithouse is the first stop on the Mesa Top because it is one of the earliest homes built.  Although this pithouse burned, tree rings from the charred wood fragments that remained date the construction of this pithouse to about 595 CE."

 Second stop is the Square Tower House 1200-1300 AD

"Featuring the tallest standing structure in the park (28 ft), an intact kiva roof, original plaster and paint, and plentiful rock art, Square Tower House is one of Mesa Verde's most impressive cliff dwellings."

Unfortunately tours for this don't start until June so we will settle for looking at it from above.

Sun Point Pueblo 1200 AD

The storage room on the lower level is the deepest we have seen, on the level above is a tunnel to the tower.  "During the Pueblo III period (1150 to 1300), Mesa Verdeans built numerous stone masonry towers that likely served as defensive structures. They often incorporated hidden tunnels connecting the towers to associated kivas."

Sun Point View's look at Cliff Palace

View from Sun Point View of the surrounding mesas.

Oak Tree House

"Oak Tree House contains at least 60 rooms. The well-built stone masonry walls supported multiple stories. The alcove itself was sometimes used as a roof for upper rooms."

Fire Temple 1250 AD

"Fire Temple shows little evidence of domestic activities and contains what experts call a highly formalized plaza public architecture that may have served as a dance plaza or great kiva. Unlike roofed kivas, plaza activities were more publicly visible. This public space may have served not only the surrounding community, but hosted ceremonies which attracted populations from great distances."

New Fire House 1250 AD just to the right of Fire Temple

"New Fire House, a small cliff dwelling that contains 22 rooms, three household kivas, and abundant evidence of domestic activity. Could its residents have been the caretakers of Fire Temple?"

Sun Temple 1250 AD

"According to modern Pueblo Indians, Sun Temple's features classify it as a ceremonial structure. Because neither household goods nor roof beams were found by archeologists at Sun Temple, some believe the symmetrically planned "D" shaped building was never completed."

Here is a peak in a window of one of the rooms on the outer ring of Sun Temple.

The view at Sun Temple showcases the mesa tops.

We are loving it up here on Mesa Top Road.

A look from above of Sun Temple (thanks to Jim standing on a rock who took this shot to see inside)

"The stones in the fine masonry walls were shaped and given a "dimpled" flat surface by the builders of the structure. Based upon the amount of fallen stone removed during excavation, the walls probably were between 11 and 14 feet high. The thick walls were double coursed and filled with a rubble core. Today, modern concrete covers the top of the walls to prevent moisture from going into the rubble placed between the walls." 

Cliff Palace from Camera View Point

"With at least 150 rooms, Cliff Palace is an exceptionally large cliff dwelling. It was constructed in a very special location, surrounded by a vibrant, active community. Several features suggest it was an important gathering place, perhaps an administrative or governmental center for the Ancestral Pueblo society that centered around these canyons. The people who lived in the area were familiar with dozens of footpaths that led from village to village and to storage structures, farming areas, water sources, and public buildings that included Sun Temple and Cliff Palace."

Tours for this don't start until June 16th so again we settle for looking from afar.

That concludes our Mesa Top Loop Road.  We went to the picnic area up here which is set up more like a campground with separate spots with a table and a grill at each.

And our picnic spot came with a great view.

After lunch we headed to the overlook for Spruce Tree House the third largest cliff dwelling Cliff Palace and Long House are larger 

"Spruce Tree House is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the park. Most of the walls, wood, and plaster are original. Archeologists have identified at least 120 rooms and eight kivas, making this the third largest cliff dwelling in the park. By the late 1270s, up to 19 households (60 to 80 people) lived here."

"Due to continued safety concerns related to rock falls, the site remains closed for the foreseeable future. Overlooks near the museum offer superb views of the cliff dwelling." 

On the walk I spotted several Yucca plants budding

This Yucca was starting to bloom

So many blooms its weighted down with them.

And finally this Yucca was in full bloom.

The original park headquarters just wonderful at blending in here at Mesa Verde.

"Mesa Verde Historic Administrative District. . . developed between 1922 and 1938. The Modified Pueblo Revival style buildings blend into their environment and reflect the vision of Park Superintendent Jesse Nusbaum."

May 18, 2021

First stop today was Petroglyph Trail Far Views area.  Here is a look at a reservoir maintained by the Ancient Pueblo People.

"This impressive structure was built in at least two phases beginning about AD 900. It has been a source of awe and study since it was first described as a reservoir by Swedish scientist Gustav Nordenskiöld in 1891. Several recent research projects have confirmed it did collect water, at least at times."

And this gentleman, a petroleum engineer and fellow traveler says he does not believe it is a reservoir.  It's too big, there are no drains into it. 

 It has steps going down into it. So what do you think, ceremonial plaza or reservoir?

A peek inside Far View House 1000 AD with internal doors from one room to the next.

Far View House was the largest building in the Far View Community, with at least 40 rooms on the ground floor.

Here is an aerial view of the Far View House.

The round rooms are the kivas (central gathering space) each family would have one.

The Pipe Shrine House 1000 AD

This brick with concentric design is novel for what we have seen of these pueblo houses.

Coyote Village 975 AD

The wood shelves seen here would have held pottery and tools.

"Anthropologists estimate that more people lived in the valleys surrounding Mesa Verde in Ancestral Puebloan times than live here today."

Mealing Bins

"Manos and metates are grinding stones used for grinding corn and other seeds. They were often placed in mealing bins when they were being used, probably to help contain the freshly ground meal. You can see mealing bins here."

Okay that is enough Ancient Pueblo Dwellings.  It is time to hike!

Spruce Canyon Trail

"Starting from the mesa top and following the bottom of Spruce Canyon, this scenic trail winds through excellent wildlife habitat."  We saw a squirrel. But the trail was great.

A view from the trail.

Happy to be hiking in Mesa Verde.

Large rocks lie along the canyon walls.

We climbed down into the canyon and walked along until we met with the Petroglyph Trail.

"This adventurous trail winds just below the edge of Chapin Mesa and leads to a large petroglyph panel.  The trail is rugged and rocky along the canyon wall to the panel.  After the panel you'll scramble up a large staircase to the top and enjoy an easy return through forest to complete the loop."

Sounds like fun, let's go.

The views of the Mesa tops.

Hmm, here is an interesting portion of the trail.

Jim manages to make his way through.

Most of the path is on the edge of the canyon wall.

More mesa views on a cloudy day.

Here we are even covered by the canyon wall.

Alpine Clematis along the trail.

And near the end of the trail the Petroglyph Panel.

It is hard to make out what they are trying to tell us.

Across the canyon we see a cliff dwelling in the arch with the help of binoculars.

Here is a video of some of the view.

After climbing numerous natural rock stairs, we are back at the top of the mesa.

You can see why this is called Spruce Canyon.

And finally a peak of the Spruce House cliff dwelling.

You just can't get away from all of the Ancient Pueblo dwellings here, it is estimated that there are 600 dwellings (not all are excavated).  We saw plenty and they are amazing.

Mesa Verde, the 6th National Park, is the only one dedicated to human activity.

May 19, 2021

Reading outside with a view of Mesa Verde before getting our shots.

All prepared with thermometer and pain reliever out in case we need it tonight or tomorrow.

Drinking Gatorade today and tomorrow per Marianne's recommendation.

Our superheroes who gave us our second shot.

In the opposite arm as recommended by Bev.

Feeling great to have gotten our second COVID 19 vaccine!

May 20, 2021

I had a little headache and went to bed last night.

We both slept in and are feeling good but a little tired today, only thing on the schedule is to rest today after getting our shots yesterday afternoon. Tomorrow we move on to a new place.