We left Arches and headed to Colorado and the Mesa Verde National Park. Located on a high mesa, this park has several canyons, 600 cliff dwellings and nearly 5000 other sites ranging from pit houses built about 500 to farm terraces and pueblos from 1100.. There are so many still being dissevered so the park has outlawed ANY off trail or road excursions. Some have been explored and filled in to protect them many have not. We arrived about 4 in the afternoon - but spent some time in Cortez at a famous trading post, Notah Dineh, Found a couple of things to bring home and ate a nice lunch in the town. We are staying two nights in the NP lodge, Far View. Old but great views and nice to be in the park. It is a drive once you get here, 15 miles to the lodge and 8 more to the old visitor center and still many more miles to other sites. We just explored the dwelling, Spruce Tree House and a drive along a canyon with several overlooks to see more ruins. Ate dinner in the lodge lounge.
I forgot to post this photo from Canyonlands. Want to get to the bottom, you drive this road and that road in the distance is NOT the bottom. No thank you.
Complex viewed from the rim drive
Spruce Tree House, a very famous landmark, 90 rooms
Spruce Tree close up. Note the white top, red bottom of the second tier of the left tower. All these rooms were plastered and painted. Inside and out. This was built about 1150
