There She Goes Again

Started the day with a HUGE breakfast at the El Grande Café.  Lots of green chilis, cheese and eggs.  YUM.  As we were sitting at our table we noticed a JCPenney catalog pick up sign on a store across the street.  I can’t believe those are still around.  Catalog pick up spots AND JC Penney catalog shopping.

After another hour or so in the car we arrived at Mesa Verde just as they opened.  We bought tickets for the guided tours of both the Cliff House and Balcony House.  First up, Cliff House.  All we had to do to get to it was go down a metal staircase and then there it was.  Carved right into the side of these cliffs.  Why in the world did people do this?  And how did they get up and down?  They certainly didn’t have the nice metal staircases we have now.  We were told there were so many people living on the flatland above that they had to start moving down the cliff face.  Okey doke.  The climb out was a bit scarier, straight up ladders wedged between rocks.  You can see the hand/foot holds the Anasazi (which just means Ancient – it’s not an actual tribe or race of people) used to go up and down.  They must have been a lot more surefooted than I am!

From here we went to the next tour and I must admit I was a little nervous about this one.  We had to go up a 30+ foot ladder then crawl through a tunnel (I was worried that I’d either get stuck or I’d be unable to stand up straight afterward) then climb out on more ladders.  I did just fine.  The first ladder is double-wide and I was going up next to a French guy (gee, imagine that, more French folks).  We were “neck and neck” for the first half and then all of a sudden I was at the top and he was still a third of the way down.  Turns out he is not too fond of heights.  I’m fine with them as long as I have something to grip on to.  I don’t even need to be touching it, just knowing it’s there works for me.  Just don’t ask me to walk down an incline.

We had several hiking options and had planned to do two, Spruce Canyon and the Petroglyph Point hiked.  We started with the Petroglyph Point trail.  It was a great hike, just the right amount of up and down and took about three hours.  Most of the up and down bit is before the Petroglyphs so the last hour or so is just a stroll through the woods.  We could see the other trail for most of this one and decided one hike today was enough.  We’re cruising along and we come across a few people standing to the side of the trail. I go by them and Charlotte (or was it John?) points out to me that I have just walked right past the Petroglyphs.  Somehow I thought there would be loads of them all along the hike but it’s just one spot.  Charlotte read to us from our little trail guide and we decided that the Whipping Kachina was the best petroglyph of all.  They “straighten out” people and give them direction.  When I have to retire my email address due to more spam than I can handle (in a month or two) I’m going to start using whipping kachina at….  

Dinner at the Main Street Brewery where I had one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, then back to the hotel.  Another wild, late night for the Tres Companeros.  I ended up sitting on the floor in the bathroom because I couldn’t sleep.  Read all of the magazines I’d brought before finally getting back in bed and falling asleep around 1:00 (bedtime has consistently been 10:00 – when we’re 70 will it be 8:00?).