Achieving Dreams (Mesa Verde National Park Post)

While I was reading my earlier post, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I realized I forgot to put in which rim I like better.  I do like the North Rim better.  My reasoning for that statement is in the other post if you care to seek it.  

Going to Mesa Verde (Green Table in Spanish) has been a goal of mine since I first learned about the Anasazi in third or fourth grade.  

The Anasazi People are known by archeologists as Ancestral Puebloans, but both names refer to the same group.  I learned about these cliff dwelling people as Anasazi, so that is how I am going to refer to them. Although the Anasazi are most known for their homes in the cliff faces, they did not always live this lifestyle.  Originally nomadic, these ancestors of the cliff dwellers were called Basketmakers, because of their skill in weaving.  Farming on top of the mesas in which the fertile soil existed had begun to replace hunting and gathering.  They lived in pit houses on the mesas.  The Anasazi began making pottery and using the bow and arrow instead of the atlatl or spear.  These pit houses would later become kivas.  By 750 AD, they began building homes above ground using wooden poles and adobe.  By 1000 AD, they began to construct structures out of stone masonry.  The Anasazi also began to move off the mesas and use those mostly for farming. Between 1100 and 1200, which archeologists refer to as the Classic Period, the Anasazi began moving into the cliff dwellings Mesa Verde is famous for.  Near the end of the 1200s, a drought occurred in the four corners area, and the Anasazi began to leave their cliff dwellings and migrate south.  Archeologists are unsure of why exactly they left as they had no written language, but several theories exist.  One is the drought.  Another is that they exhausted the area's supply of resources.  

An early gutter!  This spout-like drainage pipe from the roof was probably used to collect rainwater.   

This was at one time a reservoir.  

The Balcony House Tour

Looking up at Balcony House

We had to climb this ladder to enter.  However, the Anasazi who lived here crawled in and out of the tunnel we exited through.  In other spots, hand and foot holds were used.  

Walking around the courtyard.  

Through a window.  

A kiva, such as this one, would be used for ceremonies or family gatherings.  It would have a flat roof, and a ladder down the chimney, a hole in the roof, to enter.  It would also have a keyhole like opening that was a ventilation shaft.  The brick wall to the left of the fire pit would prevent the air from the vent from blowing directly on the fire and would circulate it around the room.    

The Cliff Palace Tour.  

Cliff Palace from above.  Cliff Palace was actually not used as a palace.  It was named for its massive size.  It is the biggest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, about 150 rooms.   

This structure was 4 stories tall!

A storm was coming!  The views were the most dramatic from the highest part of the park at the fire watchtower, built help discover fires and prevent them before they cause too much damage.

Amy

More Grand Holes and Monuments (Cortez, Colorado Post)

We were passing through on our way to Monument Valley, so to decide which rim we liked better,we stopped at the South Rim.   

The parking lots reminded me of Disney, with the parking lot signs so you don't lose your car.  We happened to park in the Raven lot.   

The Grand Canyon

We saw a squirrel, not an Abert's or Kaibab, but your regular squirrel.  We interrupted its breakfast.    

At the visitor center store, I saw these.  One looks like Jake.  The other is an Abert's squirrel.  I didn't buy any, but if I found the pot of gold at last night's rainbow, I would have.

The Desert View Watchtower.  This is the coolest place!

Hey!  I know those people in the window!

The inside decor.

I didn't realize I captured the bird in my picture until I looked at it later.  I think it adds a nice touch, don't you?

I did prefer the North Rim over the South Rim, because the North Rim seemed more peaceful and serene.  It also seemed more natural because there were fewer buildings and less developed areas.

Heading into Monument Valley.

Looks a bit like a small Devils Tower off into the distance, but that's in a different state.  

Staring intently out the window.  

East and West Mitten

Mexican Hat in front of cliffs that have swirly designs on them.

The sunset had a completely different palette from last night.  

Hoover Dam and Route 66 (Just Outside of Grand Canyon South Rim Post)

We left the city and headed to Hoover Dam.  

The dam from the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.  

The two men this bridge is named for were both the perfect example of patriotism.  O'Callaghan was a soldier who lost his leg in duty.  He later became governor of Nevada.  Pat Tillman was a successful young football player, who after the September 11, 2001 attacks, put his career on hold and put off a big contract to enlist.  He was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2004.   

The bridge and back of the dam.  

The dam was completed in just four years during the Great Depression.  It proves America's ability to work together during adverse conditions.  The American Society of Civil Engineers has named the structure one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.  

The High Flyer sculpture honoring the workers that lost their lives during the construction of the dam. 

Yup, we stopped in a town on the historic Route 66!

I like these pretty yellow flowers, because the petals look like butterflies.  

The sunset's colors included an all pink rainbow, faintly etched into the clouds. 

Facing the other direction.

At one point you could see the entire rainbow, and its end.  Time to look for leprechauns and gold! :)

Amy