Mesa Verde, Second Day

Today was guided tour Day. We signed up for a half day bus and walking tour around the Park. We ate in the room, found we had time on our hands before the bus arrived. Liter, our driver, and Shannon, our Ranger, picked us up at 8am and we began our 700 year tour of the Anasazi people. Actually, that term is no longer used by Rangers and other knowledgeable people, as it is a Navaho term and the peoples referred to are not really Navajo; a number of current tribes have descended from this ancient group; so, the term Ancestral Puebloans is now used. It is believed these people eventually melted into the various current tribes of the Four Corners area and beyond.

The Cliff Palace--An Iconic Image of Mesa Verde

The first Native American peoples lived here permanently appeared about 500 AD; they lived in pithouses. Next came the Kiva Houses, about 900 AD. Finally, the Cliff Dwellers came about 1200 AD; they only lasted until circa 1300. It is unknown exactly why they left. Speculative reasons include drought, exhausted resources, disease and enemies.

Detail--The Cliff Palace

Shannon--Our Guide on the 700 Year Tour

Working Archeologist at Cliff Palace

Inside the Cliff Palace

A Kiva-style House

Climbing Out of the Cliff House

We have been surprised at how cool the weather has been. We had not anticipated the elevations we encounter, and the coolness that brings. Nor had we anticipated serial thundershowers. We are glad we were prepared to layer our clothing.

After the tour, we had lunch at the Far View Terrace. It was lunch time and we barely beat another giant bus crowd into the dining area. Of course, in the excitement, I forgot our backpack with both our hats and both our outer shirts. Fortunately, our driver turned the pack in at the lodge! Claire had chili and a salad; I had a Navajo taco—I was ready for something hearty. The service crew seemed to be making up for yesterday's deficiencies: “Is everything all right?” “You can get a free sample of fudge over there.” They were all about customer service, today. I guess we caught them at a bad (slow) time, yesterday.

After lunch, we drove to the Museum and watched the movie—only we both kept falling asleep: I think we are both affected by the altitude and failing to drink enough water. Then we walked down the path to the overlook for the Spruce Tree House. This is an excellent specimen of Cliff Dwellings—and we are able to view on our own and even climb down into a reconstructed Kiva House.

Spruce House

Spruce House--Are these early apartments in sunny Southwest?

Ladder into Kiva-style house

Leaving the Spruce House, we wanted to hike down a narrow loop trail to see the Petroglyphs. We were told that they were only 1.5 miles away. But, it ended up seeming like much more. The total loop was 2.4 miles.

Narrow Passage--Duh!

Chuck on the Loop Trail

On the Loop Trail

Yucca Plant. Note the fibers, used for baskets, rope, sewing...

Chuck Looking Back on the Trail

Interesting Rock Formation

Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs Detail. Evidence that early Native American cultures had their children provide hand imprints as gifts on Mother's Day.

We had intended to eat at the Terrace View Cafe, but I took so long to work on the blog--I was at the Lodge as the room had no Internet access--that Claire joined me and suggested that we eat upstairs at the Far View Lounge--it was cheaper than the restaurant and closer than the cafe. I had Navajo Pizza and Claire had Quesedillas--both excellent. My beer was Hopus Operendi, a pale ale: I had asked for the darkest local draft they had.

Chuck's Navajo Pizza

Claire's Quesedilla

When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us. ~ Arapaho Proverb

Monument Valley and Mesa Verde

The first shift of today's journey took us from Page, AZ, to Monument Valley, AZ, right near the Utah border. I knew that various landscapes here had been seen in numerous Westerns and other movies—many from John Ford, director, and John Wayne, actor. The first of these was Stagecoach in 1939. But, I had a slight bias against the place from Claire's earlier trip in 1989 to various Native American sites: She did not like the almost-hostile interactions with many natives, the limits on where you could go without a guide and the fact that there seemed to be fees for everything. We did not have reservations for the jeep tour and had decided to take our chances on timing.

Chuck Leaving Colorado Horseshoe Bend Near Page

Life in the Desert--Even in the Rock

Coal Power Plant on Navajo Land

A Drive-By Monument

When we finally got to Goulding's Lodge and Tour Service near the park, there was no one at the desk; as we waited, the clerk appeared, ignoring us, picking up the phone and, presumably, continuing a conversation on hold. We thought he could at least have acknowledged our presence and said, “Be with you in a minute.” We have encountered this indifferent customer service frequently on this trip. We found that we'd have to wait 1.5 hours to begin a 2.5 hour ($40) tour. Since this was already going to be a long day before we reached our ultimate destination of Mesa Verde National Park, we determined to either try one or two short hikes or to view the scenery from a single location. Moreover, I felt that I had already seen much similar landscape in our week of travel. The buttes were impressive, monumental even; but, I was satisfied with the view from the Visitor Center terrace—though it was a trifle overcast.

Impressive Monument

This permitted us to quickly move on to the second stage of our trip, today—to Mesa Verde, CO, another 2.5 hours driving time. I must say that since we have been switching driving duties, I enjoy the view a lot more than when driving all the time, as was our situation in Europe. I also feel somewhat more rested. We had a picnic along the way with our usual turkey slices, grapes and apples, with yogurt for dessert.

We arrived at the Mesa Verde Park Lodge about 4pm. We were very glad to be staying in the park, since—just as at the North Rim—the driving distance from outside the park to desired destinations inside the park are considerable. The clerk gave us our keys and told us where and when the bus pickup, tomorrow, would occur. We then walked down to the Visitor Center and asked the Ranger on duty whether we needed tickets or if our confirmation number would be sufficient. He said we needed tickets but he really couldn't tell us anything because that tour has nothing to do with park Rangers. His attitude was one of annoyance, reminding us of a similar experience at the North Rim. Perhaps each park is required to have its quota of grumpy Rangers.

View from our Terrace at Mesa Verde

We walked on down to the Terrace Cafe to check on the meal situation for dinner. There seemed to be a blackout in the cafeteria. We saw signs advertising the cafeteria food offerings, but no indication of prices. We had ruled out the Lodge restaurant—we had already splurged at North Rim and the entree prices of mid-twenties was more than we were willing to pay.

We could not find anyone on duty at the coffee bar; but, the gift shop staff were kind enough to see if anyone was on duty and, finally, two service employees came to staff the coffee counter. They were very pleasant, but we could not figure out why no one was present. We got two large lattes and were happy to sit, relax and talk over coffee while viewing the mesas in the distance. While we were drinking, one of the employees came over to inform us that the cafe opened at 7am and that we could have breakfast and be picked up for the tour there. This was welcome and friendly outreach and much appreciated, especially after the interaction with the Ranger.

Claire saw the unstaffed kiosk for our tour company in a corner of the cafe and I walked over to check it out. I had no service on my iPhone, but the literature there had a phone number and there was a lighted handset in a cradle on the counter. So, I picked up the phone and dialed their number. After receiving a couple of messages, I got through to an agent who reassured me that we needed no tickets, our names would be on a list and the confirmation would be sufficient for us to be seated on the tour.

"Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"

Our next agenda item was to blog, read and wait for dinner time.

Chuck's Dinner--Southwest Lasagna. It was delicious and filling.

We were fortunate to get back to our room just before our nightly thundershower began. I continued work on the blog while Claire did her Qi Gong exercises. All in all, a lovely day.


Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart. ~ Old Native American Saying

Rafting on the Colorado

We left the Lodge at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at 7:30am, beginning a 2.5 hour drive to Page, AZ, where we were to embark on a river cruise down the mighty Colorado. Claire remarked on how easy the driving has been--good roads, little traffic, delightful companionship. Actually, I made up one of those.

We both continue to be stunned to see such consistent, monumental beauty in this Big Sky country.

The Vermilion Cliffs. These are the start of the Grand Canyon.

Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon redux

The Original Navajo Bridge, 1928. An important area event, since crossing the Colorado was not possible anywhere else for 600 miles. In a sparsely populated region, 5000 people came to celebrate its opening. Now a pedestrian-only bridge.

The Old and New Navajo Bridges. The near side is in AZ, the far side is part of the Navajo One Nation. Interestingly, they have different time zones: AZ is on Mountain Standard Time, while the Navajo Nation is on Mountain Daylight Time.

A pack of these guys came roaring into the parking lot with sixties rock music
blaring and engines pounding. Our first thought was that it was a bunch of outlaws rebelling against the world, trying hard to be as annoying as possible. Next thought was that it was a bunch of guys in their sixties too deaf to hear the damn music. Talk about shattering the peace of this gorgeous spot. Next thing we knew, they were yelling and screaming and running around the bridge, all wearing identical red t-shirts. Soon, in heavily accented English, they were singing Happy Birthday. We worked our way through the group, noticing that they were all young middle-aged and their t-shirts proclaimed "America Coast to Coast--Harley Davidson Tour!" I asked one of the guys where they were from....Brazil!

Triple AAA, our Rafting Guide. That is the Glen Canyon Dam (& Bridge) in the background. The dam created Lake Powell, the largest man-made lake in the US.

Rafting Down the Colorado...

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend from above

Petroglyphs of Big-Horned sheep. We only made one landing stop along the way--to view the Petroglyphs. The guide said these were more than 5,000 years old. We did stop another time--in the middle of the river--Triple AAA had to repair our propeller.

17 mile, 4 hour rafting trip down the Colorado: $85 each.
Boxed lunch for rafting trip: $9.75 each.


Q: What do you get when you mix 50 pigs with 50 deer?
A: 100 sows and bucks! ~ Triple AAA

North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Second Day

Up early as usual for us, we were at breakfast in the Lodge by 6:30. The sun was coming up over the canyon and we watched the changing light in awe from our window seat. It really did change minute to minute. Prices in the dining room are reasonable and we found that the deli, although convenient, didn’t have a big enough savings to make it worthwhile for a meal.

Morning view

Chuck went with the breakfast buffet ($13.95); Claire with the steel cut oats ($4) and a fruit plate ($7). Once again, the food did not disappoint. The fruit even included blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.

Chuck's Breakfast

Claire's Breakfast

We love the lounge in the Lodge with more massive windows looking out on the gorgeous rock canyon. The sofas lined up facing the windows are comfortable and it has a very inviting ambience.

Inside the Lodge

Our goal this morning was the Widforss Trail, a few miles back towards the entrance to the park. This hike promised to take us through a blend of Alpine forest and canyon scenery. A relatively easy trail, we did a 5 mile roundtrip through the most beautiful section, which included numbered stopping points with a self-guiding trail brochure available at the trailhead. At one of the numbered sites, it explained why there is such a haze over the canyon: the Industrial Age.

Widforss Trail

Chuck at a View Point

Wildflowers with raindrops from the night

We started the hike at about 8 am and had the trail almost to ourselves. We did, however, run into a couple from Scotland with their friends from Seattle, whom we talked to for a bit. We also met Tom, a very nice young man from Kansas, schooled in Chicago, who is on a road trip from his job in Washington, D.C., to Palo Alto where he will pursue a masters degree in Mechanical and Design Engineering at Stanford. We talked and hiked with him for quite awhile.

Aspen and wildflowers

Fall colors

Along the Trail

We sure didn’t realize how forested the North Rim is with Ponderosa Pine, Douglas firs and Aspens interspersed with large meadows, or how cold it can get—layers and gloves come in handy. We were lucky this morning and mostly had sun but could see dark clouds in the distance. The ranger told us noon was the expected time for the thunder storm to hit. By 10:30 or so we were back at the trailhead.

Canyon view from the trail

Lunch for Claire was Anasazi chili ($5.35) and iced tea ($2.35). Chuck, still full from breakfast, opted for a soft swirl ice cream cone ($3.45)

The afternoon was spent relaxing and reading. Chuck took a break at 3pm for the Geology talk by a new ranger who had formerly been a geologist here for years. He chose to speak on water, a timely topic with all the actual and threatening thunderstorms. One interesting point was that weathering and erosion are largely responsible for the Grand Canyon’s appearance; Colorado River water is not solely responsible for all the carving that has occurred: it carries away what is washed down, pushing it toward the Gulf of California.

We had dinner once again in the Lodge dining room—so glad we made reservations in advance; it’s the only way to get in. Claire had the Imperial Vegetarian Tower and Chuck had the Prime Rib. I think I’ve seen bigger towers but it was delicious and very filling.

House made black bean flat cakes and goat cheese polenta points, accompanied by organic lettuce hearts, roasted tomatoes, cilantro drizzle and creamy sunflower sauce, $18.10.

Heart Attack on a Plate. This 10 ounce cut of prime rib came with baked potato, asparagus, au jus, and horseradish cream, $26.50.

It was a beautiful way to end our visit. We took one last look at the setting sun over the canyon before heading back to our little lodge. We leave for Page, Arizona tomorrow morning.

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~ Steven Wright