CW: Morning Glory Bridge

After breakfast the next day (Sept. 29th) our Country Walkers group piled into the two vans and descended from Mesa Verde, bound for Moab, Utah. The drive consumed the morning, with a gas/rest stop in Monticello and a brief photo op at Church Rock, so named through its association with a religious group led by Marie Ogden.

The drive was about 143 miles, and took us down to 4,000' in altitude. We had a great lunch at the Moab Diner.

Afterwards we drove on through Moab, turned right at the Colorado River, and stopped to hike Negro Bill Canyon,

all the way to Morning Glory Bridge.

At this lower altitude it was hot; the temperature in Moab was 90º. Initially we were in direct sun,

but as the canyon narrowed there was more shade. The trail crossed and recrossed a creek at the bottom of the canyon.

Although the trail doesn't gain much altitude, there were short bursts of ridge scaling.

Outside the creek it's an austere, xeric landscape.

Eventually the "bridge" came into sight at the end of a side canyon.

Some consider Morning Glory Bridge an alcove arch, others consider it a natural land bridge due to the trickle of water that dribbles down the side of the canyon and passes below the formation. This photo captures only a section of it.

Its size can't be comprehended without human figures for scale. Here some of us stand underneath; the base of the arch is on the far right.

Tim Smith, our chief guide, gave us an overview of the geological forces that created the arch.

When we started back, these eroded forms captured my eye. Giant beehives, anyone?

This picture captures the most difficult creek crossing. A tilted rock has formed a pool, and the level of the creek on the other side, still deep, is several feet lower. Negotiating the transition from bankside to the rock's edge is made trickier by an ill-placed boulder. Tim and Clint assisted everyone across, one at a time. Only one of us (besides the guides) got wet feet here.

By the time we passed over this ledge, the shadows had become much longer.

Our group then drove several miles further upstream along the Colorado, to the Red Cliffs Lodge. This extensive resort even has a small museum dedicated to the movies that have been filmed in or otherwise connected with Moab.

We unpacked in our spacious rooms, relaxed over dinner,

and made our choices for tomorrow, either rafting on the Colorado or a hike at Fisher Towers.

CW: Canyon of the Ancients

Our group started September 28th with a pre-breakfast jaunt to Park Point, the highest elevation in Mesa Verde.

The guides parked our vans at the bottom of a driveway to the fire lookout. Technically you aren't supposed to go further than the closed gate until a ranger arrives, but our Country Walkers guide Tim had cleared this visit ahead of time. The sunrise colors were spectacular.

After walking around the gate and up the driveway, I took panoramic shots in three directions, and still didn't cover the entire 360º of the view. One,

 two,

 and three.

At full zoom, my camera captured the Far View Lodge and associated complex, where we had spent the night.

In the other direction lay the town of Cortez, which we would drive through after breakfast.

And away in Arizona, Shiprock poked up out of the desert. This name resonated with Joan and me because we'd listened to or read many of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels.

Returning, we reached the closed gate as the ranger drove up. He hadn't gotten the word that our Country Walkers group had been cleared to visit the lookout prior to his arrival. Tim was able to smooth the ruffled feathers quickly; as the ranger departed for the tower, his final words were, "all goodness."

After coffee and breakfast at the lodge, we piled into the two vans and descended about 2,000' from the mesa to the valley floor. Beyond Cortez we found the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It was already warm and sunny, and at this lower altitude it was certain to be a hot day. Fortunately we'd been advised to bring plenty of water.

We would be accompanied today by Shawn and Sarah from the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Sarah was accompanied by her pack-rat, Peetie.

After an orientation near the entrance, our group launched into the Sand Canyon trail. From this southern trail-head it would be a 13-mile round trip to Sand Canyon Pueblo, so that's not within reach today.

Here we're listening to Shaun.

Not all of the desiccated relics in the monument date from the time of the ancient Puebloans. (Linguistic note: you may be familiar with the term Anasazi. This is a Navajo word for "ancient enemies," and contemporary Pueblo cultures prefer that you use a different tag.)

Early on we encountered this multi-layered hoodoo; hard capstones on top, softer rock in the middle, and chunky stuff on the bottom!

Much of the trail was out in the sun.

A small alcove was next.

Several structures follow this bluff.

This is a closer look at the left-hand side,

and then the right.

Our lunch stop was at the foot of the left-hand side.

After lunch there was a choice. We could return to the start with the two Crow Canyon guides for an atlatl demonstration, or continue with Tim, heading for a "surprise" about half a mile away that he and a friend had discovered several years before. Tim needed three or so tries to find it again, but now clearly knew the way. Joan and I decided to go with the surprise.

Over the past two days we'd learned about the various theories and discussions regarding the arc of the ancient Puebloan culture: how it started as hunting and gathering, then cultivating corn was introduced/adopted, then cliff dwellings became common, and finally this area was abandoned for points further south. Climate change (drought) and warfare have been the most prominent proposals for the exodus. IMHO the answer is probably "all of the above, and they're interrelated."

Here Tim shows us his surprise, what appears to be a watcher's post.

A view from the inside.

The walls had been built with a double course of stone, and at least one peephole or arrow port still exists.

This structure provides a good view of several approaches to the upper canyon.

In conjunction with other "watchtowers," this station could have been a link in a wall of vigilance.

Then we returned to the parking area and discovered that the atlatl demo was over, and the Crow Canyon guides and our other half had already departed. We piled into the remaining van and returned for the Far View Lodge for our second and final night atop Mesa Verde.

Tomorrow we would drive to Moab.

CW: Mesa Verde

On Sept. 26th, 2015, Joan and I began a southwestern trip, back-to-back one-week excursions with Country Walkers that would take us to spectacular locations in Colorado and Utah.

Today we are to fly to Durango, Colorado, via Dallas on American Airlines. But first, the gate agents told us there's no meal service because the plane wasn't stocked in Dallas. (Even though it has been sitting overnight in Columbus.) They gave us vouchers, which Joan and I planned to use in Dallas, and we boarded the plane. Then the pilot switched on the intercom. There was an issue.

The log documenting the overnight maintenance on the airplane hadn't been signed by the supervisor. We can't fly until it is signed. It's a Saturday, so the person who can sign it is not on site, but on call. He'll get here no sooner than an hour and half, likely two. Joan and I looked at each other. This is the second time we've been delayed recently by unsigned maintenance logs at Columbus. Everybody got off the plane, and Joan and I used our vouchers to grab and consume sandwiches as we waited.

Fortunately the gate agent was able to reserve us seats on a later flight from Dallas to Durango, the last such flight of the day. We had enough time in Dallas to amuse ourselves by riding the elevated train around the airport. On arriving in Durango, the small airport there was almost deserted. We shared our ride on the hotel shuttle (about a twenty minute ride) with the aircraft crew.

The next morning we met our enthusiastic guides, Tim Smith and Clint Fries, and our fellow travelers in the hotel lobby. After piling our luggage into two vans we headed out for Mesa Verde National Park; the first stop is the visitor's center. Outside there is a tall sculpture.

It illustrates how the ancient Puebloans used carved foot- and hand-holds to climb up or down to their cliff dwellings.

After driving to the top of the mesa, however, our first stop was not a cliff dwelling. It's the Far View Community, a collection of up to 50 villages that predates the cliff dwellings by at least 200 years.

Here Tim Smith is explaining the features of this site.

At this spot we could peek into the remains of a kiva. Kivas were used primarily for ceremonial purposes.

Another section of a village.

We then dashed to the Balcony House site, where a ranger-led tour began on the hour. The ranger warned us that the tour would include ladders, tunnels, and heights, so visitors must be able and willing to negotiate these to participate. Nobody from our Country Walkers group elected to stay behind.

This is a view from the top of the mesa at Balcony House.

After descending some stairs the ranger closed the gate behind us, and it wasn't long before we encountered the first ladder.

Up we go!

The Balcony House was already in shade when we reach it a few minutes later. It's situated to receive the warming rays of the morning sun, but to be in shade as the day grows hot.

Our ranger gave a talk here.

A long view down the balcony.

We gathered at the far end for an explanation of the kiva and its design.

A look into the interior of the kiva.

The central pit would hold the fire; the small block diverts fresh air emerging from the duct around the flame. In its day the kiva would have been covered with wooden poles.

We continued on. There's a crevice leading to the tunnel.

The tunnel is small enough that Joan and I removed our daypacks and pushed them in front of us.

After negotiating the tunnel there was one more (metal) ladder to climb to regain the top. The ancestral Puebloans would have used only foot- and hand-holds as illustrated at the visitor's center.

Next we took a quick swing by the Cliff House. This settlement is the iconic cliff-dwelling site, photographed endlessly. Today and the next few days, however, it's closed for some repair work! Our group walked down to an observation point, and we took snapshots.

Impressive, isn't it? It might even look familiar. Here I zoomed in a bit.

By now it's time for lunch, for sure. Back into our vans ...

... and on to a picnic ground, where our guides spread out the treasure that has been hidden in their coolers.

Supervised by guests, bluebirds,

and the two pigs Joan and I brought along, Zorba and Paco.

We all sat in the shade because the weather was dry and hot, even though Mesa Verde lies between 7000 and 8500 feet and this was the last tour of the season. Tim told us that sometimes the final tour encounters snow atop the mesa!

After lunch we drove on to Spruce Tree House. And we were very lucky, because shortly after we visited (Sept. 27th) the site was closed due to rock falls from above. A short, paved walk led us down, and we arrived at the dwellings.

A wider view.

One kiva is open for visitors. Joan goes in.

My photo of the interior. The ladder rungs are well-worn and polished.

From the Spruce Tree House our group embarked on the Petroglyph Point Trail, a 2.4 mile loop. About hour in, we came across some cliff structures, not open to the public.

Here's a view from the trail taken after another 20 minutes of walking.

We reached the petroglyphs, and in this picture Tim prepares to give us a talk on the possible meanings of these stone recordings. Perhaps they are a history of the migrations of the ancestral Puebloans. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

A closer peek.

Shortly afterward the trail bent upwards and we regained the top of the mesa for a gentle stroll back to the Spruce Tree House. An unconcerned collared lizard gave us quite a show. Look at that tail!

And again.

The lowering sun was lighting up the adobe when we returned.

What a day it's been so far! Our next stop was the Far View Lodge, also located atop the mesa, to unpack and have dinner. Close by the room that Joan and I received were two electric car chargers, a Clipper Creek and a Tesla destination charger (not a supercharger).

A tour group using a large bus was also staying here tonight, and the dinner service at the lodge was spotty -- one table waited two hours for dinner -- but the location was perfect. And tonight was the night of a total lunar eclipse. By dint of shooting dozens of photos with my point-and-shoot camera, bracing it against the railing of our room's balcony, I ended up with one passable image.

The nighttime sound track was the bugling of elk, a call I had never heard before. The males were trying to find mates, but, we were told, the females don't climb the mesa, so the vocal efforts were futile.

What a busy day this was! Joan and I were to discover that this would be the pace for the next two weeks -- Country Walkers wants you to see as much as possible in a one-week trip (weekend to weekend).