Mesa Verde National Park

This past Tuesday Barbara, Toby and I traveled to Mesa Verde National Park. Our visit had kind of a rocky start when we went to the visitors center and one of the employees told me I had to leave because I took Toby inside in his backpack. Seriously? I thought she needed to check her ego at the door, but Toby and I left so that we didn’t cause her panties to get anymore bunched up.

Mesa Verde was not exactly as I had imagined. I expected to see a lot of Indian ruins but the park is much more than that. When entering the park you immediately begin to climb to well above 8,000 feet msl. This elevation gives the visitors wonderful vistas of the surrounding countryside. Here you are on the top of the Colorado Plateau with the Rocky Mountains visible to the east. You can also see Shiprock in New Mexico, to the south, and the four corners area to the west.

The ruins here were left by the Puebloan people who lived here beginning 1,200 years ago and lasted several hundreds of years. These people made their homes in the cliffs, lived off the land and even traded with other tribes in the area. They wasted nothing that Mother Earth gave them and had a deep respect for her. It amazes me how well they were able to live under these conditions. We could learn a lot from these amazing people. If you’re ever in the area be sure to stop by Mesa Verde. I don’t believe you will be disappointed.