We got up approximately 7 a.m. DH took the truck to look for some new tires since he discovered yet another flat tire this morning. I chose to cook breakfast in this morning frying up some bacon and eggs serving with toast, grits, and orange juice. When DH returned to the camper at approximately 8:30 a.m. he reported that Walmart did not have the tires he needed. He checked with Goodyear on the way back to the camper. They told him they didn’t have them in stock but would have them by Friday. Well, since we’re on vacation, Friday wouldn’t be any good for us. So DH stopped at an Albertson’s for another can of Fix A Flat. By the time he returned to the camper, we were ready to roll & headed out toward Mesa Verde.
The town of Mancos, CO, in the valley, historically served as the "gateway to Mesa Verde".
Montezuma Valley and Mesa Verde were once a part of the Ancestral Puebloan homeland. Between A.D. 600 and A.D. 1280, hundreds of villages and farming communities thrived on the mesas, plateaus, and canyons that form this landscape. Archeologists estimate that as many as 35,000 Ancestral Puebloans lived in this region during the 1200s. At the start of the 21st century, Montezuma Valley had a population of about 24,000 people.
Knife Edge Trail:
In the early 1900s, America’s obsession with the auto reached Mesa Verde Nat’l Park and quickly influenced the park’s development. In 1914, a narrow dirt road was completed into the park. 2 Fords, 2 Studebakers, 1 Hupmobile,, and 1 Reo were the first autos to make the dangerous journey from Mancos to what is now the Park Hdqtrs. The trip took 3 hours and visitors were charge $1.00 per car, compared to today’s 45 minutes and $15.00 per car.
In the early 1900s, America’s obsession with the auto reached Mesa Verde Nat’l Park and quickly influenced the park’s development. In 1914, a narrow dirt road was completed into the park. 2 Fords, 2 Studebakers, 1 Hupmobile,, and 1 Reo were the first autos to make the dangerous journey from Mancos to what is now the Park Hdqtrs. The trip took 3 hours and visitors were charge $1.00 per car, compared to today’s 45 minutes and $15.00 per car.
Centuries before they built cliff dwellings, the Anasazi in this region used alcoves for sleeping and shelter. There is only a shadow-record of their lives: pieces of hunting gear, intricate baskets and crude pottery, and some stone-line pits.
The storage pits were a significant find. By around A.D. 550, hunters and seed-gatherers who entered the region about A.D. 1 and used alcoves for temporary shelter were beginning to farm the mesa top and store part of the harvest-tentative steps toward permanent settlement.
Hundreds of years later, after living primarily on the mesa tops, the Anasazi moved back to their ancestors’ alcoves, but as a larger, more technically accomplished population.
The storage pits were a significant find. By around A.D. 550, hunters and seed-gatherers who entered the region about A.D. 1 and used alcoves for temporary shelter were beginning to farm the mesa top and store part of the harvest-tentative steps toward permanent settlement.
Hundreds of years later, after living primarily on the mesa tops, the Anasazi moved back to their ancestors’ alcoves, but as a larger, more technically accomplished population.
DH and the girls hike back to the top. It wasn't so bad hiking down, but one must always remember that when hiking, what goes down must hike back up. Whew!
Little Bird gets sworn in as a Mesa Verde N. P. Junior Ranger.
She went on to earn a badge for three National Parks on this trip.
While at Mesa Verde, we toured ruins, reading and learning about the Ancestral Puebloans as they are now called. They used to be called “Cliff Dwellers” and "Anasazi". We walked a lot and carried Kangaroo a lot too. By 3 p.m. we’d had enough. We headed to a local store in order to purchase a package of pullups since I’d neglected to pack them for this adventure and we still had other activities to do before retiring for the night.
Since we weren’t required to be at the Stagecoach Depot until 4:30 p.m. we thought we’d kill come time with more geocaching. DH was actually agreeable to it this time. We attempted one about 8 miles in the San Juan National Forest but the road got too rough to continue so we had to abandon that effort. We decided to head back to Mancos, CO for our stagecoach ride and steak dinner. On this same road was another geocache in a cemetery. Finally, Success! I signed the log to record my find and we moved on to the Bartel’s Valley Stage Line.
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