Mesa Verde National Park, government shutdowns and steam engine rides in the Rockies

As we left Arches National Park and headed for Mesa Verde National Park we started wondering if the government really would shut down, and if it did, what impact would it have directly, that is, immediately, on us. We were headed to a national park and had reservations to camp there for a week. We also had booked tours, led by the National Park Service, to guide us to and through a few of the most remarkable Cliff Houses. So again, was Congress really going to cause a shutdown? I couldn't believe it had gone this far... And what would the impact be on our travels???

We moved into our campsite the day before "the potential shutdown", so that gave us some time to figure it out. If it happened, we would keep our campsite for the week, the campground store would remain open and the national park would be open, BUT the visitor's center and museum would be closed and tours would be canceled. Meanwhile, as we went to the visitor center and the museum the day we moved in, the NPS employees were helping people with one eye on their computers checking to see if they’d be going to work the next day! Of course, as it turns out, there was a last minute reprieve so we were able to go on the tours of the cliff houses as planned and the NPS employees went to work, as usual, the next day.

Mesa Verde is a large mesa 2000’ above the valley below. The mesa surface has a slight slope to the south which allows it to receive more sunlight, making it warmer in the spring and fall, which, in turn, lengthens the growing season as compared to the surrounding valley. This, along with the safety of its relative inaccessibility made it an excellent spot for a hunting and gathering society to transition to an agrarian one. Fortunately for us, the arid southwest climate allows for the incredible preservation of these remarkable remains of the Ancient Puebloan dwellings from pit houses to cliff houses. These Ancient Puebloan Peoples lived in this area from approximately 450 AD through the 1200s. The structures, the remains and community development are astounding. The pit houses, built on the mesa top, were quite primitive. They were the first type of dwellings from about 450 AD and were often found in small groups. The next type of structure, still on the mesa top, was similar to a pit house, but there were several built together, (sort of like townhouses today) incorporating more people in an intimate societal setting. And by the late 900s - early 1000s, they were starting to construct elaborate interconnected cliff houses no longer on the mesa top, but tucked down into the side of the canyon. These were very complex societies. Sadly, most of the people started leaving in the 1200s when the architectural, engineering and building skills seemed at their peak, and it was essentially deserted by 1300.

Why did they leave? Where did they go? A couple of things are known for sure, the rest is speculation. The peoples went to, started, joined several pueblos; Zuni, Hopi, Pueblos in New Mexico, Arizona, Central and South America and more.

In that approximate timeline, there appears to be some sort of event, drought ?? that caused the indigenous peoples to move.

I am no expert, but as we've been traveling, I can't help but notice that from Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and now in Colorado a major migration took place during this time period. Interesting… Of course one of the most challenging aspects of understanding these Ancient Puebloan Peoples is that they had a tradition of oral history. Written history wasn't just not encouraged, it was not allowed. We are left with the oral traditions from the various pueblos, that don't necessarily agree with each other, and the examination of the historic, ancestral artifacts by primarily eurocentric sociologists, which don't always agree with any of the indigenous stories, to try and piece together the life and history of the Peoples who left us this treasure in the sky. It truly is an amazing treasure.

While we were there, friends were posting pics of fall foliage in Vermont and I was getting seriously homesick. I was starting to have a case of, TMOTMSOB (too much of the many shades of brown) desert overload. I mentioned it and my sweet husband not only heard me, he came up with a solution. The next thing I knew, we had tickets for a steam engine that travels from Durango,CO to Silverton,CO and back. It was a practically, perfect plan, and I was happy as a clam. 😁 Except for...the… weather … It was fine on the way to Silverton, but it was in the 40s, raining, snowing at one point, and windy on the way back. Oh right, and we were in an open car. You know, we wanted to make sure I could get good pics! Haha! 🥶🥶 It was still mostly fun though.😏

On to pics

Art at the visitors center. Modern statuary outside. A tribute to the importance of maise

Cliff Dwellers. An ancestor climbing the cliff with a basket on his back.

Ancient art.

A bowl. The Ancients were very skilled pottery makers, typically using black and white and often incorporated animals in their designs. This is a skill that they took with them when they left. Many of the pueblos are known for having skilled artisans, but interestingly each pueblo has developed a different style.

Spruce House

Stormy sky

Rabbitbrush

The Sun Temple

Likely used for ceremonial purposes. Also, perhaps used as a calendar which would serve a pivotal role in an agrarian society.

Look carefully at the pic below.

The 60ish° angle line coming down the cliff face in the middle of the pic is from a fibrous rope that was used as an aid to scramble up and down the cliff. On the left are the toe holds, steps, that had been carved into the rock. Presumably they used steps like these and ladders to ascend and descend from the mesa top, where their agriculture remained, to the cliff houses.

The next several shots are of the Cliff Palace. Studies reveal Cliff Palace had 150 rooms, 21 kivas and a population of approximately 100 people. It looks like a small city to me! This is one of the tours that we had reserved providing us the extraordinary opportunity to go down to the palace and see a part of our prehistoric history at close range.

This is where the engineering, building and artisanal skills are so clearly exemplified. Just a reminder of the dates, this was started and occupied from the late 900s to the late 1200s. A stark reminder that this country had a thriving sophisticated culture long before we Europeans arrived.

Our second tour was of Balcony House.

Up the stairs, uhm, I mean ladders …

squeezing through some tight spots

the balcony overlooking the canyon below. The views were extraordinary.

And talk about extraordinary craftsmanship, look at the way they built around the stone, incorporating it into their designs.

Getting to the other side of the dwelling involved climbing a few steps up the ladder (that was the easy part) then scrambling up the very slick rock that had those little toe holds chiseled in and we didn't have a nice rope to hold onto. Granted, it was at a 45° not 90° angle, but my big ole feet barely fit into the little toe holds! (Just sayin')

The other side.

This is the exit, that little rectangle that looks like a fireplace, actually a tunnel of sorts.

And another ladder.

And I'm out!

Some of the excavations of the dwellings of Far View Village on the mesa top.

A family of deer hung out near the campground. Two bucks, two mama does and two young ones. Mules deer have giant ears! A desert adaptation. But I think it makes them extra expressive and cute. ❤️

Our train to Silverton

Yes, that is our track carved into that mountainside 😬

We had to refill with water part way. Required a lot of steam to power that engine up the mountains.

We were next to a stream for much of the ride. It was pretty.

Coming into Silverton.

As you can see, there is still some blue sky. It's a bit chilly, probably about 48°, but it's pretty so it's not too bad.

Silverton, CO. Note: the skies are very gray now … and the snow line is visible on the mountain.

We're ready to go back. There are about six of us that have tickets for this “open” car and we've all tried to prepare the best we could. On the way back it rained, it sleeted, the wind blew … we (at least, I) were frozen!!!

A tree had fallen on the track so our two and a half hour trip turned into more like a three and a half hour trip. 🥶🥶🥶

Given the chance for a do-over, I'd do it again. The ride there was fun, Silverton was scenic, got some cool pics and eventually completely recovered from being cold! 😁😂😂

Ending my post with some fall flora pics

Thistle and Grass