Durango/Mesa Verde National Park

16 March 2009

Jake had a business trip to Durango, Colorado and since he was driving, Dash and I decided to tag along. It was a BEAUTIFUL drive through the San Juan River Valley, thru Pagosa Springs and on into Durango. Before we headed back we stopped by Mesa Verde National Park for a couple hours to see the cave dwellings built in 1200 A.D. It was amazing!

San Juan River Valley, nearing Pagosa Springs, CO.

It was about a 6 hour drive from Castle Rock to Durango, and another 1.5 hours to Mesa Verde.
Durango, CO.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK Mesa Verde offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

Spurce Tree House, looking down from the Museum
Panoramic pic of the cliff dwellings
Dash at the Spruce Tree House
A ladder that leads down to a ceremonial room.



The "Cliff Palace" is the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde. It has 150 rooms and 75 open areas. Twenty-one of the rooms are kivas, and 25 to 30 rooms have residential features. The number of Ancestral Puebloans living in Cliff Palace at any one time was 100 to 120.
The Cliff Palace



On the long ride home... chewing on his favorite parrot
Treasure Falls

5 comments:

the supportive husband said...

Hey, between Durango and Mesa Verde you drove through a stop-light town called Mancos. That's where Miki is from. We just spent Christmas there and we'll be there again in a few weeks for spring break for a wedding reception in Durango! It's also about an 8.5 hour drive from LV. I've been to Mesa Verde at least a dozen times. It is amazing! Glad you had fun at my home away from home.

ben and shera said...

Im so glad youve posted new events! Its so nice to keep up on whats new with you and especially to see Dash. Those videos were SO CUTE! We are seriously so excited to have a baby. Dash makes it look so fun.

santino, polly and little dude Eli said...

lovely picture! What a trip! Thanks for sharing your blog!

katierose said...

seriously, that place is amazing! i didn't even think the 1st picture was real!!! now i want to take a trip there! just stunning...

brandy said...

Wendy, you take the best pictures. They look like a postcard. I'm glad you guys had a fun trip. Dash is adorable! And he's getting so big. Don't you wish they could be small forever? I say that but I have loved every stage so far.