Sunset hike

We hiked to this vista to see the sunset before the Ranger presentation at night. It was a great day! Heading home! We have been very blessed with wonderful weather (haven't seen a rain drop in 40 days), and beautiful sites, and amazing history. Sounds like we have some trees propped on our house from Tuesdays storm; heading home to take care of things and visit with you!

Spruce Tree House

Our visit to the spruce tree house was self guided, not ranger led. It was accessible to anyone, not just someone with 18 inch wide hips or less. I climbed down into a Kiva, a worship and gathering space for the people. Was very dusty; I could not imagine spending time in that dark space but they were protected there from the elements. The fire was kept in there; I imagine emphysema and other lung issues were extreme health issues. The day ended with a stunning sunset and a ranger presentation at dark.

Leaving Balcony House

The only way the ancient Pueblos got into balcony house was through this tiny tunnel. We climbed the ladders to get in that were man-made. The tour guide made us well aware at the start of the hike that the tunnel was only 18 inches wide that we had to crawl through to get out. I was a little nervous, pretty sure my hips were close to 18 inches wide. Wondered if Randy would have to shove me through? As you can see, I made it. My hips were touching both sides and I had to shimmy. Really beautiful and interesting day.

Balcony House

While the first tour of the day of Cliff Palace was the most magnificent, the tour of balcony house was the most challenging and exhilarating. Squeezing through crevices climbing ladders and wait til you see my next post.

Mesa Verde

We spent the day at Mesa Verde yesterday. We toured the Pueblo ruins and hiked all day long. Randy had been before with Jessi and he really wanted me to experience it. It was a fantastic day. The pictures in this post are from Cliff Palace and our visit there with a ranger. The ruins are in phenomenal condition. Almost can't believe we got to get so close. Lots of ladder climbing!