Mesa Verde - National Park #2
I left Durango early this morning and made my way to Mesa Verde. I was not thrilled to see snow for about a half hour of the drive, but since it was never more than flurries, decided things could be worse.
The visitor center was a beautiful building, and I got informed of many places to visit. I opted to pay an extra $5 (a bargain really) and get a 1 hour tour of the Balcony House ruins. Lots of crazy ladders to climb and etched out steps made for an exciting edge on the tours. Very interesting history of the area. I also visited an area that had a really spectacular hiking trail with some petroglyphs. One of the more enjoyable short distance hikes I have been on in quite some time. I managed to find some beautiful flowing plants and a few animals to photograph as well. Fun time!
The weather was not too bad around 4pm when my touring was done, but I was on the far south end of the park, and needed to drive to the campground and see if I could find a spot. It had been drizzling on and off all day and was cold (low 40s, high 30's), but I was thinking I could have a good night camping once I got snuggled in. It takes almost an hour to drive from the south end of the park, to the campground. By the time I got there, the rain had really increased and I could see that it was getting slushy as it hit my windshield. So, I decided to avoid setting up camp in the rain and avoid what was sure to become snow overnight, and headed to a town called Cortez. So, I am nice and cozy in my hotel room while it is snowing and sleeting outside. Dodged camping in the snow this time!
The visitor center was a beautiful building, and I got informed of many places to visit. I opted to pay an extra $5 (a bargain really) and get a 1 hour tour of the Balcony House ruins. Lots of crazy ladders to climb and etched out steps made for an exciting edge on the tours. Very interesting history of the area. I also visited an area that had a really spectacular hiking trail with some petroglyphs. One of the more enjoyable short distance hikes I have been on in quite some time. I managed to find some beautiful flowing plants and a few animals to photograph as well. Fun time!
The weather was not too bad around 4pm when my touring was done, but I was on the far south end of the park, and needed to drive to the campground and see if I could find a spot. It had been drizzling on and off all day and was cold (low 40s, high 30's), but I was thinking I could have a good night camping once I got snuggled in. It takes almost an hour to drive from the south end of the park, to the campground. By the time I got there, the rain had really increased and I could see that it was getting slushy as it hit my windshield. So, I decided to avoid setting up camp in the rain and avoid what was sure to become snow overnight, and headed to a town called Cortez. So, I am nice and cozy in my hotel room while it is snowing and sleeting outside. Dodged camping in the snow this time!
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