Hi, this is Sean😀. Top to bottom: Tower Palace, Pine Tree House and me, the sunrise today, Pine Tree House, and a pueblo house. We woke up and had breakfast. We decided that we should go to Mesa Verde, which means 'Green Mesa' in pueblo. We drove from our campground in Canyon Lands, to Mesa Verde. When we got there we went to see the pit house. It was realły small and shallow. I would not want to live in it. Next, we went to a real pueblo village; Tower Palace. It was really cool. We took some pictures and thought about how the ancient people used to live. We got back in the RV and went to a amazing overlook we could see around six pueblo cliff dwellings. We looked through some telescopes that could see every little detail. We asked a ranger some questions. She (the ranger) quizzed me (special thank you, ranger Kaitlyn May) and I got only one wrong. The answer to the one I got wrong is sipapu, which is a hole in a kiva. We got our junior ranger badges and kept driving. We had a really good pizza dinner. We drove for a long time and saw, or knew where Lake Powell was because it was to dark. Then kept going to our campsite which was really dark and really good for stargazing. We looked up at the sky for a longtime. I could see the Big Dipper, Orien, the North Star, the Little Dipper, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. We went to bed after a long day of fun and driving. I hope the other National Parks are just as fun as Mesa Verde.
Very nice pictures, Sean....Were you able to take a short hike down to one of the cliff dwellings? I was surprised to find out when we were there that the dwellings are only about 700 years old. That is not that old when you compare them to the ancient Egyptians or Romans. I also was surprised to hear that they only lived in them for about 100 years....but they were really neat.
ReplyDeleteWhere to next, Zion? And then on to California and Aunt Anne Marie and the desert? We will be seeing you real soon!
Love, Grandpa T
Thanks for all the great information, Sean. I know I can't name all those constellations myself--in Illinois, it is rarely clear enough to see them! The weather must have been fine for Mesa Verde--I know that many years they have to close most of the walks due to ice and snow. We were lucky a year ago when we visited--and you must have been, too.
ReplyDeleteKeep the pictures and commentary coming. We love this blog!
Grandma T.
Sean, stargazing ...... I am just plain jealous. XXOO,Nana MO'S
ReplyDeleteHi Sean,
ReplyDeleteThis is Stephanie and I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts and seeing your pictures -- you are a great historian, and I am learning things from what you have written about -- thank you!
I know you have already had additional adventures since this post from Mesa Verde and I too am very happy for both that chain being there and your quick, instinctive reactions to regain your footing! What an incredible hike you took at Angels Landing!
The Pueblo village and cliff dwellings you explored are really interesting to me, especially imagining that group of people finding a way to live in that fairly small space, as you pointed out in your blog, literally in the rocks themselves -- not an easy lifestyle, it appears! Their writings and drawings are also interesting even though I know very little about them.
Your stargazing there must have been amazing, and I bet that now that you have seen those constellations there so clearly, you will save those images in your head so that when you are back home later, you will be able to find them more easily on a clear night - very cool!
Have fun and thanks again for the great blog updates!
Love,
Steph