June 30th was our 38th wedding anniversary, and we decided to spend it at
Mesa Verde National Park, a place we'd never before been. Located in southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde was the dwelling place of the ancestral Pueblo people, and the site includes over 600 cliff dwellings. It was fascinating, to say the least. Above: windy me!
From this view, the dwellings look so small, but after we hiked down to that level and were able to observe the ruins up close, we found them to be adequate to house the Pueblo who lived there.
Our guide explained how the Pueblo lived and why they might have eventually abandoned the dwellings.
After leaving Mesa Verde, we drove about an hour east to Durango. We spent some time walking around that very charming town's historic district before heading to the
Bar D Chuck Wagon for our anniversary dinner (thanks, handy travel guide, for the great suggestion)! Along with hundreds of others, in a lovely outdoor amphitheater, we enjoyed a scrumptious barbecue dinner, served on tin plates, and drank lemonade from tin cups - chuck wagon style. After dinner, we were treated to a family-style stage show by the Bar D Wranglers. They were so fun! They sang cowboy and western songs from the "olden-days," and we enjoyed every minute of it. Such a fun way to spend our special day together!
June 30th was our 38th wedding anniversary, and we decided to spend it at Mesa Verde National Park, a place we'd never before been. Located in southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde was the dwelling place of the ancestral Pueblo people, and the site includes over 600 cliff dwellings. It was fascinating, to say the least. Above: windy me!
From this view, the dwellings look so small, but after we hiked down to that level and were able to observe the ruins up close, we found them to be adequate to house the Pueblo who lived there.
Our guide explained how the Pueblo lived and why they might have eventually abandoned the dwellings.
After leaving Mesa Verde, we drove about an hour east to Durango. We spent some time walking around that very charming town's historic district before heading to the Bar D Chuck Wagon for our anniversary dinner (thanks, handy travel guide, for the great suggestion)! Along with hundreds of others, in a lovely outdoor amphitheater, we enjoyed a scrumptious barbecue dinner, served on tin plates, and drank lemonade from tin cups - chuck wagon style. After dinner, we were treated to a family-style stage show by the Bar D Wranglers. They were so fun! They sang cowboy and western songs from the "olden-days," and we enjoyed every minute of it. Such a fun way to spend our special day together!
3 comments:
WOW, what fun... Happy 38th.. can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.
Happy anniversary!! Why did the Pueblos abandon the area? Beautiful pictures & so much fun to explore, I'm sure!
The guide told us that the real reason they left the area will probably never be fully known. But, their best guess is that they left the mesa to join forces with other tribes further to the south; whether it be for greater safety in larger numbers, or for more adequate food supplies, or for a different reason altogether. Thanks for reading, Erin! :-)
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