Durango, Colorado
Distance for the day: 205.8 km
Cumulative distance: 6349.1 km
Top speed: 135 kph
Moving average: 66 kph
Temperature: 22.2 - 33.4
UNBELIEVABLE! NOT DEAD YET!
OK, Now today's post really begins.
Did a ride around Mesa Verde National Monument. Sadly, we were unable to get ourselves into a tour of one of the pueblos however, we did get some pretty good views. Bookings for a tour cost $8 and must be made online no more than 14 days in advance and fill fast. The next opening was for June 30th.
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| This was from the highest point in Mesa Verde, a fire lookout. |
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| This is the Durango ski hill. It would be comparable to Mount Rabbit (for our Edmonton followers). We could not identify any discernible parking area. |
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| At least they have a sense of humour about it. |
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| We couldn't decide if this was politically correct or not but given that it was on a reserve, figured somebody in the know must know about it. |
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| We met the riders of the three bikes ahead. Three couples riding rented Harley Davidsons. They are from France. |
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| This is THE mesa. As in Verde. |
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| Great view overlooking the surrounding plain. |
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| Good thing Nan was looking to take this picture. I couldn't see anything as I was wearing sunglasses. On the way back through, I took them off and held them in my hand. |
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| This is inside the fire lookout station. It is not currently actively manned. A fire razed the mountain in 2000 and firefighters saved the building by wrapping it in tin foil. |
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| This is the pueblo called Cliff House. You can see the people who actually planned their visit. |
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| This was the largest cliff dwelling in the park, thought to have housed around 150 people. It is believed that it was built around 1250 and may have been a political centre. Relics of trade were excavated in the early 1900s and indicated goods from the Pacific coast and birds from South America. |
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| Looking down the valley from above the cliff dwelling. |
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| There were three or four large cliff dwellings that were plainly visible. However, there were many minor ones that would have been home to a couple of families. |
It was an amazing experience - humbling really - to view the dwellings that were nearly 1,000 years old. We were told that the area was abandoned around 1300 when the residents moved south. It is not certain what caused the locals to move away.
Those UNESCO people really know what they are doing.
Those dwellings are very cool, and the landscape around them. I like that you included a photo with people for scale.
ReplyDeleteWe had wished it was us down there!
ReplyDelete