After last year’s trip, we all watched Ken Burn’s National Park series. I have to admit, that was the first I had ever heard of Mesa Verde. I was immediately intrigued and knew I wanted to visit this year. Thanks to Zak’s awesome planning, we are really making the most out of the two days we have here.
The night sky at Hovenweep was amazing, the moon cast a pinkish-red light on us all night, while the rest of the sky was sprinkled with stars. It was hot enough and the chance of rain was low enough for us to sleep with the rain covers off the tents. There seemed to be nothing separating us from the rest of the universe and it was simply lovely. I did wake up throughout the night, put on my glasses, and looked up before falling back asleep to Ellie’s snores. Those frequent wakings caused me to be in a bit of a cranky mood this morning. Just throwing that out there. I don’t want anyone to think this trip is all rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns. I also think I was anxious about the Mesa Verde visit today. I like my National Parks with few other people and I was scared we were going to witness some of the same stupid people we’ve seen in the other popular parks. I was kind of dreading spending my time with people who don’t respect the park system. And the thought of it made me cranky. Regardless, we packed up in only 30 minutes and were on the road back toward Cortez by 7. We stopped at the Starbucks and they were “not able to push espresso.” I don’t know what that means exactly, but I do know that I couldn’t get a latte.
We made the fairly long drive from Cortez to our first tour at Mesa Verde. (Most of the park must be viewed on a tour to preserve the sites.) I wish I understood the history more than the 8 hour crash course that we seemed to have taken today. Basically, Mesa Verde was occupied from about 600 CE to 1300 CE. Up until 1200 the communities were built on top of the mesa, among the crops. However, for an unknown reason, they began building and living in the cliff dwellings in 1200. By 1300, they had left the region, and there are a ton of theories as to why, but no definite answer. The history here is so rich, full of wisdom, community, and hard work. What amazed me the most was the masonry. As the buildings were constructed over long periods of time, different masons had different styles. Some liked a wetter mortar, while others used a drier one. Some were meticulous, while others were a tad sloppier. Finger marks have been discovered where masons used their hands to smooth the mortar over the rocks. It made the entire experience extremely personal for me.
I wish I had more to share, but I feel like this day was overwhelming with information and was too much to take all in and then communicate it on this platform. My hope for myself is to continue the education that I started today and learn more about the cultures from the four corners area. It is fascinating!
We found a great Thai place for dinner and we all devoured every bite. I accidentally promised the girls ice cream and Zak noted the Dairy Queen we had seen on the main street. I vetoed that immediately as I thought we deserved the real stuff. Zak pulled some magic and found the adorable Moose and More. All homemade ice cream and the friendliest owner who has even been to Brookfield (for the zoo, of course!) was exactly what we needed to top off our night.
