Cliff Palace dwelling at Mesa Verde
Our plans to visit Mesa Verde were a little fuzzy. The one campground in the park seemed to be open, but all services (including water and bathrooms) closed past October 1, so it was unclear where we would stay. When we arrived, we also found out that the park had switched over to its shorter Fall hours and would close at 5pm. So, naturally, we stayed at the Best Western. Which was just as well, since Hurricane Sandy was hitting NYC that night, and we got to watch The Weather Channel for 5 straight hours.
The next morning, we packed up and headed to Mesa Verde. The park is exactly as it sounds – a large green mesa, based around several archaeological sites – the cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people. Only the main attractions were open – the massive Cliff Palace (and the accompanying ranger tour), and the smaller Spruce Tree House. We spent the better part of the morning checking out the two sites, which were both stunning. It was really amazing to see these places and to think about how these people had lived.
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