Friday, Sept 12th/08
Besides the convenience of having my little laptop along for “Blogging” purposes I also realize the strength and freedom (and complications) that computers have brought to our lives as I am able to pay bills away from home. Sigh… yes they do follow us even here where we don’t see them dropped through the mail slot.
And speaking of home… today I put on a pair of black pants I haven’t worn on this trip (mostly because they are tear off shorts and I haven’t needed them thus far). OK – back to the topic… there were a number of long white hairs that belong to our furry little friend Tobi which brought a pang as even though we are having a wonderful adventure we REALLY miss that little guy and all his funny little mannerisms.
We had thought to go to Sedona today but making call after call to try to secure a room proved futile as all calls ended up either sold out or only with smoking rooms which we declined. Then we thought we would head off to Durango and a number of calls there provided the same result. No problem, there’s still lots to see here too and I call to the front desk to see if we can stay an extra night. Oh Oh! The rooms are all sold out but they do have 1 suite left. It’s almost double what the current room is but
housekeeping will move all our ‘stuff’ over while we get to go sightsee. Overall, that seems like the best alternative so we ‘book it’ and I decide to double up with Rod and head off to Mesa Verde. I have the smaller of our cameras around my neck today and am able to get a number of excellent shots while Rod is busy concentrating on the road. Good thing too as the drop offs are sheer – probably a couple of thousand feet and many hair raising corners. They always seem worse to me when I am not doing the driving. Must be a ‘control’ thing. I totally take my hat off to the people who designed and built these incredible roads. Who ever would have thought in the early 1900’s to undertake such a project to bring tourists over 8000 feet up a mountain top. Prior to that it was a 3 day horseback trip that came with a cost of $15.00 and included accommodation and meals.
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, 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. Home many hundreds of years ago to the Anasazi people who started out living high on the mesas and eventually migrating down below and becoming ‘cliff dwellers’. "Anasazi," is a Navajo Indian word meaning "ancient ones" or "ancient foreigners." It is astonishing to see how they developed their craft in masonry to build very sophisticated multi-storied homes which allow them to obtain vital water supply both from the sky and from seep water. There are 24 tribes that affirm an ancestral affiliation with Mesa Verde National Park. Tribes affiliated with the park include all of the pueblos of New Mexico, the Hopi tribe in Arizona, as well as the Ute and Navajo peoples. 
Besides the convenience of having my little laptop along for “Blogging” purposes I also realize the strength and freedom (and complications) that computers have brought to our lives as I am able to pay bills away from home. Sigh… yes they do follow us even here where we don’t see them dropped through the mail slot.
And speaking of home… today I put on a pair of black pants I haven’t worn on this trip (mostly because they are tear off shorts and I haven’t needed them thus far). OK – back to the topic… there were a number of long white hairs that belong to our furry little friend Tobi which brought a pang as even though we are having a wonderful adventure we REALLY miss that little guy and all his funny little mannerisms.
We had thought to go to Sedona today but making call after call to try to secure a room proved futile as all calls ended up either sold out or only with smoking rooms which we declined. Then we thought we would head off to Durango and a number of calls there provided the same result. No problem, there’s still lots to see here too and I call to the front desk to see if we can stay an extra night. Oh Oh! The rooms are all sold out but they do have 1 suite left. It’s almost double what the current room is but
housekeeping will move all our ‘stuff’ over while we get to go sightsee. Overall, that seems like the best alternative so we ‘book it’ and I decide to double up with Rod and head off to Mesa Verde. I have the smaller of our cameras around my neck today and am able to get a number of excellent shots while Rod is busy concentrating on the road. Good thing too as the drop offs are sheer – probably a couple of thousand feet and many hair raising corners. They always seem worse to me when I am not doing the driving. Must be a ‘control’ thing. I totally take my hat off to the people who designed and built these incredible roads. Who ever would have thought in the early 1900’s to undertake such a project to bring tourists over 8000 feet up a mountain top. Prior to that it was a 3 day horseback trip that came with a cost of $15.00 and included accommodation and meals.
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, 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. Home many hundreds of years ago to the Anasazi people who started out living high on the mesas and eventually migrating down below and becoming ‘cliff dwellers’. "Anasazi," is a Navajo Indian word meaning "ancient ones" or "ancient foreigners." It is astonishing to see how they developed their craft in masonry to build very sophisticated multi-storied homes which allow them to obtain vital water supply both from the sky and from seep water. There are 24 tribes that affirm an ancestral affiliation with Mesa Verde National Park. Tribes affiliated with the park include all of the pueblos of New Mexico, the Hopi tribe in Arizona, as well as the Ute and Navajo peoples. 
The park features numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the ancient Pueblo people best known for several spectacular cliff dwellings — structures built within caves and under outcroppings in cliffs — including Cliff Palace, which is thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. Looking at the size of these doorways you have to wonder about the size of the people who once lived here. An average man was about 5'4" to 5'5" tall, while an average woman was 5' to 5'1" (I would fit right in). Compared with today, the Ancestral Puebloan's average life span was relatively short, due, in part, to the high infant mortality rate. Most people lived an average of 32-34 years, however some people did live into their 50s and 60s. Approximately 50% of the children died before they reached the age of 5.The Puebloans lived here for more than 700 years and then in the late 1300's suddenly just disappeared taking almost nothing with them. Remnants of their corn cobs show they were still roasting in their fires. It is yet a mystery and no one knows if it was a mass migration or ???
We ‘thought’ we would look around the Park in a couple of hours and then head off to Durango but in fact it is so fascinating that it is well after 5:00 P.M. before we leave having been there since morning. There is still much to see and experience but it will have to wait for another trip as will Durango which we visited a number of years ago.
Coming back to Cortez, we stop at the local market and pick up some sushi in honour of Rosemary’s Friday night tradition. Summer sausage, cheese and triscuits – a veritable feast that we enjoy in the living room of our new and comfy suite. Might as well make the most of
it.P.S. They didn’t forget the Corona! :-)
1 comment:
Awwwwww TOBI how could you forget that furry little face.
What a great time you are having. I really look forward to reading everyday. The highlight to my day.
Hugs and kisses
Robyn
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