(Note: Sporadic internet in Mesa Verde. Written Tues Night. Posted Wed morning... hopefully)
Evenin', Campers!
It's Silver Cliche' with you again tonight. Checking in this time
from Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado.
The day started cold
in Del Norte where we were visiting family yesterday afternoon and
evening. I didn't describe the setting in last night's blog since I
spent so much time describing what it takes to produce a “Silver
Cliche' Driving Experience” for you. We didn't attempt to repeat
that today (see below for details of the drive). Our niece and her
family live on a country property. That is, it's not in the city,
it's not a working farm or ranch, but it has the features of being
“out there”. Surrounding their house and deliberately placed
somewhere on 30 or so acres are chickens, goats, a horse, several
dogs, a cat and at least one loud rooster tended by our kin. On that
same land and tended by the man upstairs are rabbits, magpies, owls,
prairie dogs and who knows what else that flies, walks, crawls or
slithers (there's a stream there too… let me add “swims”).
Beyond their land but constantly scouting for a time and reason to
enter are deer, elk, antelope and coyote. Farther out are mountain
lions, black bears the occasional wolf and, according to some local
lore – Sasquatch. You may say “there is no Sasquatch” and I
wouldn't have an argument to convince you otherwise. However, if
there was a place where the “man of the forest” would live it's
there. This area is home to the Rio Grande National Forest which
abuts the San Juan National Forest. These vast expanses of Federal
land contain more lost valleys and hidden ravines than Manhattan has
cabs (or Uber cars… or whatever it has the most of now).
This morning was the
coldest we've seen yet at 34 degrees. We ran the gas furnace in the
trailer overnight (Maybe some day I'll write about the Noah's ark of
mechanical systems we drag around the country. We have two modes of
refrigeration, two modes of heat, two electrical systems, etc. etc….
like Noah we have two of every beast). The furnace keeps us very snug
and has the added benefit of heating our two fresh water sources
(Noah again) and two waste tanks (I hope you've got the hang of this
now and I don't have to go “full Bible” on you). Both we and the
dogs slept well and woke warm.
Here's a shot of the
rig in the driveway where we stayed in Del Norte. I took this from
the road so I could reuse the shot as an action pic in some later
blog on a day when I'm too lazy to shoot and edit pictures. Let's see
how good your memory is when I slide this one in in a few weeks and
retitle it “driving down a country road”.
And here's a pic of
that road where I was standing when I took the pic above. See if you
can spot Sasquatch up in the woods.
So, by 10:15 or so
we were off and heading west on our home for the day US 160. In a few
minutes we were in the next town down the road – South Fork. Every
time I see that on a map or GPS screen I do a double take. It says
“South Fork” but it reads to my eyes as “South Park” which is
the fictional Colorado TV town in which a group of animated seven
year-olds make mischief and generally offend all modern beliefs in
the name of entertainment. We made two quick stops there. First to
buy an extra battery for the trailer. The weather has been colder
than I anticipated and may get colder yet. On nights when we do not
have an electric source we need to keep the furnace running using our
two 12 volt batteries to power the blower (and lights and
electronics, etc.). The biggest killer of trailer batteries is the
furnace blower. When the batteries drain down, the furnace stops
working completely (and the batteries can be seriously degraded
permanently). So… with colder weather came the thought that
carrying one additional battery which can be tied into the battery
bank, charged during the day with solar or generators (we carry both…
that's right, two electric generation systems) and used to get an
additional 50% or more of battery life was a good idea. Great news!
The sell our brand in South Park… I mean Fork and we got one. The
other stop was to tank up on gas.
Off we went. US 160
crosses the Rockies in southern Colorado, not far from the New Mexico
border at a place called Wolf Creek Pass. That's where we were
headed. It was a generally gray day at 8,000 feet in the valley along
the Rio Grande. As we climbed and talked about the incredible views
we were about to enjoy, nature had other plans. We eventually
ascended into the clouds but not before the rain started. The
temperatures which had been upper 50's in South Fork became 50 at
9,500 feet, 40 at 10,500 feet, and the lowest reading I saw on the
truck's thermometer was 38 degrees near the top of the pass. As we
passed the Wolf Creek Pass Ski Area near the apex of the road it
began to snow. It would be easy for you to say “that sounds normal”
and you would be right. But remember, Mrs. C' and I are Floridians
and we left places that have weather like that with the intent of not
returning. In the years since we retired, we have not left the State
of Florida for any reason in the months of November, December,
January, February or March. We were not amused by the conditions in
Wolf Creek Pass. My altimeter read 10,863' as we hit the top and
started back down the west face of the Rockies toward Durango. The
snow showers turned back to rain but the day remained non-photogenic.
Fortunately for you, there is the internet (which unfortunately for
me is sporadic at best here in Mesa Verde) and you can Google “Wolf
Creek Pass” then pick “Images” and I'm guessing you will see
from your easy chair or couch or bathtub (gee… I which I hadn't
just thought of some of you reading this from your bathtub) what Mrs.
C' and I hoped to see first hand but didn't.
Once we crested the
top of the pass we began to notice changes. The west face of the
Rockies seemed more lush with denser and taller conifer forests. If
you ever need a 120' tall Christmas tree I'd say head there and
you'll find your pic of beauties. It's probably illegal to cut them,
so go at night and bring a king size sheet or two to hide your work
while you take it home. The contours of the land also seemed smoother
and more polished. Perhaps millions of years of prevailing wind
hitting the western facing sides of these mountains has actually
smoothed them. Of course the trees and landscape may not have been
different at all and we may just be feeling the effects of the second
hand marijuana smoke that is a Colorado hallmark.
In about 90 minutes
we were in Durango. It was still gray and raining on and off. Our
plan to see the scenic old mining town with its working railway and
old west charm was scrubbed in favor of pressing on. We did stop for
lunch… Mexican… I'd recommend the Baja fish tacos at Zia Taquiera
if you're in Durango.
We arrived at Mesa
Verde National Park about 3:00. Here's a view to the north from the
Visitor's Center.
Those are huge snow
covered peaks in the center of the pic. If I had internet here I'd
research what their names are, how tall they are and how far away
they are from where I stood. But I don't. However, the real show was
180 degrees the other way. It looks like this:
As we drove toward
the campground 5 miles into the park we literally climbed that
mountain on switchback roads to about 80% of its height then the road
cut across its spine from the side you are looking at to the other
side and descended to where we are camping.
Tomorrow is a day
off the road. We intend to drive through the park and see what people
come here for. And what is that, you ask? Cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde
is the home of at least five cliff villages (ask me tomorrow… I bet
I will know that these are not “cliff villages” as the
uninitiated call them. They are called something else) and many other
dwellings of ancient native people. These villages are set into huge
natural openings in the cliff faces on two adjacent and parallel
ridges, or “mesas” as those in the know call them. There are
three on one mesa and two on the other about two miles apart. On that
fact, I am “in the know” because “I” “read the map” that
calls them “mesas”. Oh, and now that I look, that same map calls
the “villages”, “houses”. That seems a misnomer to me since
clearly each “house” can house (I though it was a cleaver choice
of a verb) many families. If there's a suggestion box I might offer
the opinion that “high rise apartment” is a more fitting term.
These dwellings were built around 1300 AD. They were discovered by
prospectors, ranchers and other people of European descent in the
1880s and were, at the time of their discovery, unused and abandoned.
So, that's how we
got to Mesa Verde and what's ahead. If the weather tomorrow is like
the weather today we may say “to hell with cave dwellings, let's
stay in and drink coffee”. Let's hope not. Oh… and it just
started sleeting here. It sounds like someone is throwing rice at the
trailer. Whoops… there was a lightning flash and a thunder clap.
“Thunder sleet” are you frickin' serious!??
Later,
SC'
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