Mesa Verde trip, June 11, 2013

Breakfast at 8:00 was scrumptious once again--blueberry pancakes with syrup, bacon, and various fruits, coffee and tea. Then we traveled back to Mesa Verde, this time to Wetherill Mesa, on the western side of the park--a little less visited site, but providing access to the Step House and Long House. The first tour was of Long House, a 150-room cliff dwelling. It was covered in a 90-minute ranger talk that started with a tram ride to the trailhead. Long House offers the most in-depth tour of any cliff dwelling in the park. Quiet and serene, it is one of Mesa Verde's largest dwellings, and may have served as a community center when the Ancestral Puebloans lived there. After the tram ride, we climbed two 15-ft. ladders within the site. The round trip hike is close to a mile, with a 130-ft. gain in elevation. A rather warm day greeted us, but there was a breeze stirring, so conditions weren't half bad. After Long House we rode the tram, went to Badger House and other pit-houses, constructed when the Ancestral Puebloans first settled here, before the advent of the cliff dwellings. Ending up at the original tram stop, we had lunch before setting out on the trail to the Step House, a self-guided tour which took 45 minutes. There we had the unique opportunity to view both an early pit house community and a multi-story cliff dwelling built centuries later within the same alcove. The total walking distance was almost a mile, with a descent of 100 ft., on a winding path. After that, we traveled out of the park and to the town of Cortez, to the Cortez Cultural Center on Market St. The Center is a non-profit organization. They have a gift shop focused on goods representing Southwest cultures, made by local artisans; a museum representing the past and present of the Cortez area; an art gallery whose exhibits change monthly, featuring local artists; a classroom, kitchen, art studio, and darkroom that are available for use by the public; and a dance plaza / outdoor performance space located in the heart of downtown Cortez. Before taking in the dance performance, we went by an ice cream parlor and had some amaretto ice cream; then to the grocery store to lay in supplies for tomorrow's foray to the Ute Tribal Park, and finally to Hawkins Preserve, where we walked for about 20 minutes. It is a 122-acre nature and culture preserve open to the public and donated to the Colorado University Center of Cortez, now the Cortez Cultural Center. It is filled with acres of native plants, pinion and cedar trees, rocks, and an Ancestral Pueblo site. Before going back to the Cortez Cultural Center for the Ute Tribal dance performance, we had dinner at Pepperheads, whose ingredients are sourced locally as much as possible. There are all kinds of margaritas, for instance, and Ann and I shared a mango margarita, which was excellent. We also shared a plate of carne adovada, in a rich dark sauce, with rice and beans--very good, but with too much sauce, in my opinion. We returned to watch the Catching Eagle Dancers from the Ute tribe dance various dances. Three females danced, and one male gave elaborate commentary on the dancers and their steps and costumes. The performing Lopez family are from Towaoc, Colorado and perform in the traditional style of Ute Mountain Ute Pow Wows. In the end the audience joined in a circle dance of friendship. Finally, we re-entered the Cortez Cultural Center and saw Sheldon Manuelito, a Navajo from Shiprock, NM, sand painting. Additionally, he passed several of his pieces to us for closer perusal. At sundown, we drove back to our B & B after a most successful day. What varied sites we saw! Off to the Ute Tribal Park tomorrow, early. Great day!