Mesa Verde a treasure that was left for others to discover

On our first day at Mesa Verde National Park, we listened to a forest ranger tell a story which many of the modern Pueblo Indians, in the southwest, already knew. It was about how a pueblo tribe finds a new home.
Here is what we heard from their ancient story:

                When it's time to find a new home, take what is important and nothing more. 

                 Pack the generations together so they may help each other, with ease, along the journey. 

                 It's best not to know the lands or waters where your family is heading.
                 The more you look back, the less magnificence you'll see before you.
                 Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. 

                 You'll know your new home the instant you arrive and not a moment sooner.

As we heard the ranger tell this story, my wife, kids, and I looked at each other and excitedly said, "That's what we are doing!" It was one of those unique moments when something unexpected touched each of us, with equally measure.

   So it was, the Anasazi, also known as the ancient ones, of Mesa Verde, left everything behind in search of new lands and waters for their people. They never looked back, nor ever returned, and researchers don't know why. The treasures which were discovered throughout Mesa Verde are the day-to-day items of a society who simply walked away from what they had. The dwellings were left abandoned with pottery, jewelry, and other household items and they remained undisturbed for nearly 800 years. Kitchen pots were found sitting along fire pit edges, as if dinner could be served at any moment. Half finished tapestries still on their looms suspended in time. Hand carved toys and bedding were patiently waiting for the children to return. All of the items sat, as they were left, for nearly eight centuries. Interestingly, there wasn't any sign of conflict, the people simply left and never returned. Though the fineries and other relics of the past have long since been put into museums, the early pictures and videos of Mesa Verde's discovery are truly breathtaking and worth watching, in the park's visitor center. 

    Mesa Verde is one of those Native American landmarks that is as beautiful, as it is perplexing. One leaves Mesa Verde with so many questions. Why did they leave? Why did they build on the cliff walls? How did they support 35,000 people atop the Mesa? The questions go on and on. Maybe this is why Mesa Verde is so popular and recognized around the globe, for what it is, a magnificent world heritage site. If you ever decide to visit this National Park, you won't regret it.               

A surreal place to visit and ponder all of the whys.

Exquisite art with fine detail.

Protected and had water too.

A relic from our own past. 

An amazing amount of work went into these structures.

The Grand Palace is probably the most photographed of the ruins.

We had to climb a 32 foot ladder at the Balcony house.

Secret passage ways connected some of the rooms.

The balcony is still intact after all of these years.

Very resourceful builders.

Some of the structures have metal supports to keep the walls from falling.

At one of the complexes we saw great examples of Kivas (Ceremonial gathering rooms).

Atop the mesa, the Anasazi built reservoirs to hold the waters from the springs. This reservoir measures 90 feet across and was used by everyone  

There are ventilation chambers in the Kivas to move out smoke and bring in oxygen.

Beautiful topography of the area.

Hiding under a boulder for a break in the shade.

Well preserved ruins throughout the park.

Fire has burned 75% of the Mesa Verde since it's founding as a National Park. Though forest regeneration occurs, it is at Mother Nature's speed which can take is many decades.

Hiking down hand-hewn rock steps.

There are over 4,300 ruins and 600 cliff dwelling spread out over 52,000 acres at Mesa Verde, making it the largest archaeological preserve in the U.S.

It is a special feeling to be able to touch the past like this.

Some partially built structures on the ledge.

The organic designs of the walls were pleasing to the eye.

Like looking into a portal to another time.

Steep hills and cliffs were a great defense barrier.

Harsh landscape to call home.

Zoe loved being interactive at the sites.

The sandstone shows signs of wear from the sharpening tools

The paths were fun to hike but were, for the most part, not handicap accessible.

The flowers dried out perfectly on this wild agave and this plant can now provide fruits for the animals. 

A gathering place for a masterful civilization from a bygone era. 

An alpaca heaven for the kids

We had a free day after seeing the sites in Durango so we decided to head out of town to a working Alpaca farm. Pleasant Journey Alpacas, is a recommended activity by the Durango visitor center and it is free too. Ever since our drive to South America my kids love all things alpaca. In fact, Zoe's rainbow colored sweater (in the pictures below) is made from alpaca wool that we bought it in Peru. We love alpaca fabric because it is soft, durable, and warm.

   This farm had about 70 alpacas, most of which are boarded there. Seeing the tiniest of the alpaca is what my kids liked best. We missed seeing a newborn calf as the mother was not ready to give birth while we were there. Such is life with animals. The dive to Pleasant Journey Alpacas takes about 25 minutes from Durango though scenic countryside. We loved our stay here and think you might too. 

Sierra making a friend.

My wife had fun here too.

Zoe almost got kissed by a juvenile alpaca.

Zoe fed one the babies.

Kids, in general, love animals and experiencing them is beneficial.

There was little snowfall over the winter and the dry grass is a testament to that.

Durango and the importance of seeing things for yourself

Durango, Colorado is a beautiful small town nestled in a valley at around 6,000 foot elevation. Truth be told, Durango has been both on and off my shortlist of places I could live for many years. In fact, when I was in my mid-twenties I spoke with someone who had been to Durango and he said something along the lines of, don't live there, you'll be buried in snow. Sadly, I listened to him and thus never visited this lovely town until now. Whether I would have moved here or not is besides the point. The issue is, I had his opinion in my head for all these years and it unmotivated me from ever coming here.
   Now that I am here, and see this place with my own eyes I realize the error in my judgement. I should never have listened to him and that is totally my fault for being so naive. We have spoken with many locals here and though accounts of snowfall vary by individual, people generally agree that ample sunshine in the winter makes this place a stunning wonderland. Add nature's beautiful backdrop to amazing facilities like a hi-tech library, modern community center and meandering bike paths and you have a family paradise. The only problem we found here so far is the high cost of living and lack of high paying jobs.
  Durango is a desirable tourist town all year long and outsiders come in droves to have fun. Though the population is only 18,500, here, it feels double that because of all the hotels, condos and second homes. My wife said, "Durango reminds me of Asheville, NC but sunnier." This is a compliment as we both love Asheville, but feel we need more sunshine for our next place that we will call home. As we depart Durango on our quest for a new place to live, I am reminded of the importance of seeing things for yourself. Anyone reading this, I implore you to go where your heart wants. Make your own decisions on what's important, and take what others say with a grain of salt. Don't do what I did.

Beautiful hills in Durango.

Historic Main St. in town.

The valley walls comes right to town.

My daughter reading a book at our campsite.

Our RV park was just outside of town.

A family friendly bike path goes through town.

The historic narrow gauge rail line to Silverton

Main St. is party central.

   At the time of this writing, there is a major forest fire just north of Durango cutting off Silverton and highway 550. The fire spreads quickly with the afternoon winds and we see the firefighters zipping by in their trucks to stop the inferno. The helicopters and airplanes are dropping water and flame retardants, on the fire, from sunup to sundown. We have gained a new appreciation for how hard the firefighters and hotshots work, being dropped behind the fire lines, in hell's path.   

Driving a National Geographic byway

Highway 84 north of Abiquiu, NM is a National Geographic scenic byway. I personally had no idea that National Geographic designated roads as scenic points of interest. After driving on it, though, I can see why such designations exist. Highway 84 straddles the Carson National Forest as you drive north, towards Colorado and is a lightly traveled road. Wide open spaces and colorful backdrops are probably what caught Georgia O'Keeffe's attention, as she called Abiquiu, NM home for many years. O'Keeffe, the artist, has been recognized as the "Mother of American modernism." She was inspired by the picturesque landscapes and hearty flowers and plants of the area. I hate to admit it, but here too, I had no idea about her history in this elongated valley. By happenstance, we stumbled upon a National Geographic scenic byway and Georgia O'Keeffe's former home, all in the same day. Who would have thought? Goes to show, you never know what the road reveals until you are on it.

Below are images (without captions) from highway 84 as we drove north to southern Colorado.