Mesa Verde is only about an hour's drive from Durango, CO however, upon reaching the park, we are once again greeted with a very familiar sign: Road Construction Ahead - Expect Delays!
Damn that Recovery Act! It seems that everywhere we go the roads are under construction! I ready myself for another lesson in patience...put the car in "park"...sit and wait for the Pilot Car to take us up into the Park.
While we await the Pilot Car, Terry and I reminisce about our delightful stay at the Strater. This classic 4-story Hotel was built by Henry Strater in 1887 making it one of the oldest buildings in Durango. In 1926 the Barker family purchased the Strater Hotel and has owned and operated it ever since.
The Strater is an excellent example of American Victorian Architecture, which is highlighted by its original white cornices and the rich red brickwork. A far cry from the Hob...but I suppose we could get used to the Strater!
A block down Main Avenue from the Strater we find Jean-Pierre's...a quaint French Restaurant. Its Happy Hour at Jean-Pierre's and there's nobody at the Bar. We are greeted by a gruff looking Frenchman who happens to be Jean-Pierre himself. He welcomes us to his establishment...serves us French Bread and recommends the new Rose, he just brought in for his wine cellar. We bite. It's crisp. It's dry. It's remarkably refreshing! Another round if you please?
We dine at Jean-Pierre's this evening on Tapas while chatting it up with our server Garrett - a fine young man who recently got his degree in Turf Management in hopes of becoming a Golf Course Superintendent here in Durango. He soon finds out that the only Golf Course in town already has 4 maintenance guys who have set anchor and never intent to leave. Hence, Garrett waits tables at Jean-Pierre's and serves as a River Guide on the Animas River.
After dinner, we stroll down Main Avenue. We find an ice cream parlor and after devouring our cones, we decide we need just one more ver du vin rouge (glass of that Rose) before calling it a night. Garrett chuckles as we re-enter Jean-Pierre's. He pours us the last remaining drops of that delicious pinkish nectar. It's getting late. Back to the Strater for a most enjoyable night's sleep.
A bit more rustic than the Strater, Spruce Tree House was built by the Anasazi Indians somewhere around 1200 A.D. It is the third largest cliff dwelling here at Mesa Verde and is believed to have been home to about 100 people.
The ladder descends down into the Kiva - the social and spiritual gathering place of the Anasazi. Inside, the Kiva contains a firepit, a ventilator shaft, a series of banquettes (benches) and pilasters which supported the beams of the roof. On the floor of the Kiva, there is a small hole called a Sipapu through which the Anasazi emerged onto the face of the earth. Being that the hole is about 6" in diameter...either these folks were very skinny...or they possessed some very magical powers!
A look at the Kiva without the roof. The Park Service has reconstructed one of the Kiva's at Spruce Tree House which is the only one accessible to us modern day visitors. Yes, I climbed down into the darkness to check it out. The lighting was a bit dim..however, the air conditioning was working quite well!
It amazes me that the Anasazi were able to construct these dwellings on the sides of a cliffs that are seemingly inaccessible! How the heck did they get in and out of these dwelling to gather food and obtain water? The Park Service has built us an easy access pathway...but back 800 years ago, they did not have the same equipment that makes it so easy for us.
The 3-mile loop trail leading to the Anasazi Petroglyphs has its ups and downs! Here Terry is scaling one of the many sections of the pathway that requires a bit of scrambling. The Trail Guide provided (for a whopping 50 cents) introduces you to the natural environment of the Mesa Verde and the Anasazi.
Like the Guides we have acquired along other Treks, this one describes in detail the wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs along the route. We learn about bitterbrush, serviceberry and creeping holly grape. We discover that the black streaks on the roof of the cliff overhang is not necessarily smoke stains..but more likely to be "desert varnish" - a staining of the rocks caused by the dissolving of iron oxide and manganese oxide in water that has dribbled over the rocks during spring rains and melting snow. When the water evaporates it leaves the dark mineral deposits behind thus staining the ceilings of the Cliff Dwellings.
One plant that caught my attention was the Mormon Tea bush. the Mormons as well and Mexicans and early Indians, learned that by boiling the stems of the plant, they would be treated with a brew that was used to cure venereal disease, kidney infections and stomach disorders. Hmmm. Stomach disorders? I wonder if Mormon Tea would cure "natural gas"?
At the far reaches of the trail, we are treated to an up close look at the Anasazi Petroglyphs. These ancient artists stood on a narrow ledge to chip away the images shown above. The Fu Manchu character in the lower right portion of the Petroglyph is believed to represent the Kachina Clan symbol.
The dancing characters with their hands raised above their heads are representative of the Pueblo People. The squiggly lines just below the left hand print represents a Sipapu - the hole from which the Anasazi emerged from the earth.
The Mountain Goat symbolized a clan's separation from other migrating people and their settlement some distance away. Wacky graffiti...wouldn't you say? The beauty of it all is that nobody really knows what these markings really say...leaving it up to our individual imaginations!
My interpretation: Genghis Khan has come to invade our dwellings. Head for the hills fellow Anasazi. Grab your goats, your children and fly with me to the tallest of Mountains. For a last minute escape, slide down the Sipapu if need be!
Reminiscent of our hometown, we encountered a wide variety of Prickly Pear blooms along or many Treks. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Phoenix is warming up a bit! Here in Mesa Verde, the high temperature hovers around 85.
Cliff Palace
The most famous of the Anasazi Cliff Dwellings here at Mesa Verde is known as Cliff Palace. This cliff side condo was discovered in 1888 by Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason. What a find for these folks! They soon began collecting many of the Dwelling's artifacts in which they attempted to sell to the Smithsonian. Sadly, at the time, the Smithsonian was experiencing a serious cash flow problem and passed up on the Wetherill offer.
So, the Wetherill's packed up their wares and began displaying them across the country. News about this unique setting began to spread and soon many of the dwellings became invaded by fortune seekers. Virginia McClung, a New York Graphic correspondent, visited Mesa Verde in 1892 and almost overnight became a one-woman bandwagon dedicated on helping to preserve and protect Mesa Verde from future pilfering.
Her efforts along with several others including Lucy Peabody, a savvy Washington socialite, helped to establish Mesa Verde as a protected area. On June 29, 1906, Teddy Roosevelt signed a bill creating Mesa Verde National Park.
By the numbers, there are about 600 cliff dwellings located within the boundaries of the Park. Cliff Palace being one of the larger complexes contains 150 rooms and 23 Kiva's.
Exposed are a few of the many Kiva's found at Cliff palace. Behind the walls are the main living quarters of the Anasazi. Room sizes varied however the average room measured about 6' x 8'. Cozy quarters, wouldn't you say?
Time to move on!
All steamed up about preserving our National Parks, we finish our tour of Mesa Verde in the early afternoon...saddle up our horse... and headed on down the dusty road under construction where the trail will eventually lead us to our final destination on this leg of our Trek thru the Parks - #13 - Petrified Forest National Park. Happy trails mi amigos!
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