National Park #18, canceled March 22, 2021
Coming from the Grand Canyon, we arrived in Mesa Verde at 3:30 pm (after the time change). We tried to go to the visitor center and bookstore, but it had closed at 3:00. Undeterred, we visited Spruce Tree House (well, saw it from the overlook because the cliff dwellings themselves were closed for the season), then drove Mesa Top Road. We stopped at a few viewpoints where we could see Square Tower House, Cliff Palace, Oak Tree House, and a bunch of others. Then we visited Far View Sites Complex where we could walk around some structures up close. The signs not to climb on or enter the dwellings were very annoying to the kids! But they were good and stayed on the ground.
We met up for dinner at a friend’s house in Durango and, knowing it would be a long day, decided to stay in a hotel rather than the tent. The kids could hardly believe their luck! It was warm and toasty inside, and thus easier to get up and ready in the morning. On the way out we stopped by the Mesa Verde visitor center for stamps and souvenirs. I ended up getting a sweatshirt that I still wear constantly as I write this in 2025, and you’ll see in lots of trip photos for subsequent reports. Next up is Canyonlands!
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