Mesa Verde and the Ute Tribal Park, June 9-15, 2013

Back in the saddle again, this time with Ann Stevens in the land of reservations, mountains, mysterious buttes, and a sky that seems to go on forever. This morning I had an early morning flight from DFW to Denver. We were about 40 minutes late in boarding, as thunderstorms rolled through the area. However, once we got boarded and the storm had subsided, we were on our way. I had the "National Geographic Traveler"on my iPad and had the great satisfaction of knowing that I was once again participating in that glorious traveling fetish of mine. Ann was front and center at the airport, and we sailed away from DIA in her truck (her camper is undergoing repairs at this point in time). We were off on Colorado 470 to Fairplay and Buena Vista, where we had a lunch of hummus, crackers, juices, and Greek yoghurt at a roadside park and accompanying stream. After Buena Vista, the towns of Poncha Springs, Monte Vista, Del Norte, South Fork, and several passes on our way led to Pagosa Springs, Durango, and finally Mancos. It took us a while, but after turning off on a country road, we were able to find the Flagstone Ranch B & B, at 7000 ft. and facing Mesa Verde itself. The quiet here is unbelievable. We drove back into Mancos for dinner at Millwood Junction, which is known for its barbecue ribs, and we were not disappointed. Sitting outside on the terrace in the cool of the evening was definitely stellar. Returning to Flagstone at sunset, we enjoyed the cool of the evening and a view of the stars, talking and then watching an episode of a BBC special on the history of Jerusalem. Earlier, during our 7-hour push to Mancos, I had read the section on Mesa Verde of "House of Rain" by Craig Childs to Ann, preparing us for tomorrow's first foray into Mesa Verde. Good night!