Day 3 – We’re Finally Somewhere (Mesa Verde)

After only 2 1/2 days of driving, we’ve finally arrived at our first destination – Mesa Verde National Park. Who knew I’d be risking life and limb before the visit was finished? (More about that in a minute.)

The Mesa Verde area was first inhabited by the Pueblo people. The cliff dwellings were built between 1190 and 1290. That’s a long time ago!

Historians believe the Pueblo people moved off the plateau and into the cliffs for a few reasons – protection, storage of corn crops, and better temperature control. There are more than 600 dwellings in the area.

Several dwellings are available for tours. Ethan suggested the Balcony House tour. The Welcome Center had descriptions of the tours and warnings on a couple of them. The warnings focused on the strenuousness of the trip. (They didn’t sound too difficult for anyone who was in remotely decent physical shape.) They even had replicas of the ladders you must climb at Balcony House. Frankly, the ladder looked innocent enough.

From the Welcome Center, we drove an hour up the mountain. This included stopping at a few viewing areas along the way. The best view, by far (Pun intended!), was from Park Point Overlook at an elevation of 8,572 feet. The Overlook is located on a peninsula of land jutting out, so we had a 360-degree view.

We finally reached the parking lot and gathered at the meeting location. Before he began the tour, Ranger Tim gave us a short spiel about the physical perils of the tour. He explained that once we began, there was no turning around. Again, the emphasis was on the physical strain.

It turns out the tour wasn’t strenuous. It was dangerous.

I found it quite convenient that we didn’t see the location of the actual ladder until we’d passed the point of no return and Ranger Tim had locked the gate behind us. Then, we saw that the innocent-looking ladder was leaning almost vertically against a cliff wall. There was a small ledge at the base of the ladder, but that ledge was 250 feet hight. If we fell, we’d be going to the bottom . . . of the canyon – not the ledge.

DId I mention I don’t like heights?

Some types of heights bother me more than others. The type where I could die if my foot slips … those bother me a lot!

I took a deep breath, smiled so my kids didn’t see I was scared, and started climbing. Pshew! I survived.

Once we arrived at the dwelling, it was fascinating. My favorite part was the kiva.

This kiva was a round “pit” that served as a communal area for the 40 or so people who lived in that dwelling. It was two stories tall and contained a fire pit in the middle. Inside one of the walls was a ventilation shaft. The inhabitants were so advanced in their engineering, that they built a small wall just inside the kiva to divert the fresh air, so it would flow around the room without blowing directly on the fire pit. I guess this was the ancient version of HVAC. Pretty ingenious.

After the tour, it was time to exit the dwelling. And this was the really scary part. It started with a 20-foot ladder to climb. This ladder was balanced on an even smaller ledge.

Then, we used our hands and feet to climb a couple dozen sandstone steps. There was no ledge at all. At the top of the steps was a narrow path with a drop off on one side and the cliff wall on the other.

Do you know what they tell you to do if you’re afraid of heights? Don’t look down. So, let’s just say that I hugged the wall – literally. I put both hands on the wall, and my nose practically touched the stone, as I walked sideways down the short path. This helped me to avoid the temptation to look down. I didn’t want to scare myself . . . any more than I already was.

At the end of the narrow path was another 20-foot ladder. All the way up it, I kept reminding myself how much I loved my kids and that I was doing this for them. I was also hoping they were enjoying themselves, because otherwise I might have to strangle them.

My family would like me to clarify that THEY thought the tour was only slightly dangerous. But, hey, I’m the one telling the story, so I’m going to tell it from my perspective.

After my legs stopped shaking, I climbed back in the RV, and we headed down the mountain.

We were on the road again. This time headed toward the Grand Canyon.

Westward Ho!

Kelly’s Comments (If You Go …)
Mesa Verde National Park –
Buy tickets for tours at the Welcome Center. For planning purposes, be advised that after you leave the Welcome Center, it’s an hour drive up the mountain to most of the cliff dwelling tours. Also, don’t let my description of our tour scare you. There are several tour options, and most aren’t very strenuous or life-threatening.
Kaibab Camper RV Village –
We arrived at the campground after dark and had to back in. Ross and I managed to do this pretty quickly – and without yelling at each other. Not bad for our first time ever backing into an RV site. It was morning before we realized how beautiful the pine tree-lined site was.