So we have left behind us the stunning red rocks and heat of the Arizona desert and have crossed into mountain and river country of Colorado. Our first stop being Mesa Verde national park.
This was the home of the ancient Ancestral Pueblo people. They were farmers who lived and grew crops on the Mesa tops until about 1300 AD. Many of these people chose to build their homes in cliff side alcoves.
Unfortunately, the largest of these cliff dwellings, the Cliff Palace, was closed for restoration, but we instead did the most adventurous cliff dwelling tour to Balcony House. This was a one hour walk that included a 9.8m ladder,
And crawls through a 45 cm wide by 3.7 m long tunnel
And a climb up a 20m open cliff face which I have no photos of as I was too scared to let go of anything to take any pictures!!!!!!!
But it was well worth the effort.
Below is a picture of Spruce Tree House, a dwelling that can be accessed from the Mesa Archelogical Museum and a self guided walk.
We stayed the night at the Moorefield campsite and were treated to breakfast with mule deers.
Glen has been on the hunt for wildlife. We are yet to see a bear in the wild but have now seen many deer, beavers, a snake, squirrels and chipmunks ( we think).
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