Today we woke up in our hotel and left, after eating breakfast. We were told that we were going to Mesa Verde National Park. There were tours of ruins of Ancient Pueblo Indian towns. These rock structures were built into the sides of canyon walls.
There were two tours that we wanted to go on, but we needed to get to the park early to get tickets. So we got into the car and drove to the Mesa Verde Visitor Center. We got tickets for the Balcony House tour, which was smaller than the Cliff Palace tour. But we actually got to go inside the structures, unlike the other option.
At the visitor center, there was also cool information about the Pueblo Indians and how they lived. After that, we got back into the car and drove for AN HOUR to get to the actual pueblo. We gathered in the parking lot above the canyon. We met our tour guide Paul, and he told us about the different Native Americans that lived out west. He also explained that the Ancient Puebloans hunted game, farmed the land above the canyon, and gathered over 300 different kinds of plants for food, medicine, and building materials.
We climbed down lots of stairs to get into the canyon, then climbed a tall ladder to get to the pueblo, which was under a big alcove. The tour of the pueblo was really cool and interesting. Archeologists estimated that between 30 and 40 people lived in the Balcony House Pueblo.
We had come through an opening that was not there when the Ancient Puebloans lived there. The only opening was a small tunnel about 1.5 feet wide and 3 feet tall. We exited the pueblo through it, and we had to crawl on our knees. Then we climbed another ladder to get back to the parking lot. We drove to the Mesa Verde Museum, which was filled with lots of artifacts found in the pueblos. After that, we went on a self-guided tour to the Spruce Treehouse pueblo.
Tired and sweaty, we all piled into the car and drove through lots of red rock canyons. We arrived at Hauer Ranch, a horse ranch. We found the house we were going to be renting for the next four days. The place is so cool! Red rock all around, and nobody else outside of the ranch for miles. We got settled in and had dinner. I am writing this post at the dinner table, looking out our glass doors at the Colorado River. While I was doing this, a stray cat came by! Us kids went out to pet the cat, then came back inside after giving the kitty some love. It is now dark, and I can still see (him? her?) on our porch. Bye for now, Claire
The view from our porch (minus the cat)
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