Mesa Verde

The ancient Pueblo people built large buildings and then left them and moved on to other locations. Archeologists do not know exactly why, but the modern Pueblo people say it is because they were on a journey, and if they spent a hundred or a thousand years in a place,  it was just a stop along the way.

  

Our first stop at Mesa Verde National Park was at the Visitors Center for a map and other information. 

The weather forecast was for possible showers, so we decided not to linger over the VC exhibits and to drive on up the Mesa. As it turned out, although I felt I needed to carry my umbrella  on our brief stops and walks, I hardly used it. 

The weather was best described as blustery and threatening. A plus was that there were very few other people on the trails and overlooks, so we had no parking problems. 

Although the aspen trees are past their peak, there is still lots of fall color on the hillsides. The oaks above were along a short trail going up to the highest point on the mesa. 

The views of the valleys below were fantastic. The path in the center of the image above was once part of the main road up to the mesa top. Fortunately it was replaced by a tunnel!

When we got to the top of the mesa we first drove the Mesa Top Loop road and then the Cliff Palace Loop. 

People have lived on the mesa for thousands of years. There are many known but unexcavated archeological sites up there. Some of the sites that have been dug out are protected by sheds with sturdy railings to protect them. 

Above is an early style of pit house. It consisted of a hole dug out of the ground, with a fire pit in the center, and often a second chamber for either sleeping or storage. Short walls and a roof were constructed out of branches and bark. The floor was probably covered with reed mats and furs.

The next stage of structural development was the addition of simple, single-stone-width masonry walls.

The most recent pit houses were much deeper, and included side benches. This round pit was probably used for ceremonies. And the design evolved into Kivas that are part of current Native American communities 

Also revealed at this site was an example of a thick wall that was three courses wide. 

This place was part of an extensive village. In 1200 AD, more people lived at Mesa Verde's surrounding mesas and in the valleys of what we call the Four Corners area, than live here now! Although they left the area before Columbus discovered America, their descendents are among us.

On both loops we stopped at several places were we could see across the canyons to where the ancient Pueblo people had built in and under huge overhanging cliffs. These structures came after the pit houses. Apparently the people continued to dry-farm the top of the mesa, but many of them lived in such large niches in the cliffs.

At one stop we were able to look down on a structure.

As you can see, this structure rose four stories!

We walked down a half-mile path to the Spruce Tree House site.

The wide path was paved, and there were a lot of switchbacks, so it was not as hard to get to the bottom of the canyon as it might have been on a dirt path. Once down, we could see the spring area that provided water for the people who lived at Spruce House.

I think this was my favorite part of the day. There was a ranger on site to answer questions. When this place was occupied, all of the rooms were enclosed and the walls would have been plastered smooth. Many walls were painted. At the museum that we visited later, we saw pictures of what the sites looked like when they were first discovered by Anglo archeologists. (The modern Pueblo people do not consider them as having been lost or forgotten.) The cleanup and partial restorations have been done with skill and care. 

When we started the day at the Visitors Center, we purchased tickets for a ranger-led tour of the Balcony House at the end of our day. However, when we got there we reconsidered what was physically required to go on the tour: several tall ladders, low doorways, and a crawl-through tunnel that was 20 feet long and not much wider than the ranger's hat. I was not enthusiastic about these obstacles, so we decided to pass on the tour. I would have loved to do this when I was younger, thinner, and had a more flexible back. When we were at the other ruins earlier in the week, I could not bend over low enough to get through some of the doorways. My spine is partially fused.

I'm not really sure where we are going to stop next. We have decided to hang out here for a few days and catch the Sunday football games. 

Life is Good!

Thank You Coachnet

Sometimes little things can take over your day. 

When I described the road into the Chaco National park as rough, I was not exaggerating. Even though we kept our speed way down, it was enough to shake things loose in a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. As we were driving the road a second time, we got a couple of warning beeps, which were a mystery to us, and then a flicker or two of the check engine light. 

We drove back to our RV site and parked as usual. When we went to hook up the Jeep the next morning all was well as I started it and pulled into position, but after turning it off, hooking up and then gong back to start it as part of the hook up process, no connection was made and the Jeep was dead! We called the Jeep dealership in Farmington and Durango, but neither could look at it that day, so we towed it to our next stop just outside of Mesa Verde.

With some careful parking we were able to park the dead Jeep, and still get the Alfa backed into her site. I suggested to Craig that something must have jiggled loose during our washboard ride, but he couldn't see anything wrong, so we called Coach Net, or roadside service provider, for help. There was some confusion at first when the Coachnet Representative said a service call would not be covered for the Jeep because we were not stranded on a roadside.  WHAT? The first thing they always ask is always: "Are you in a safe location?" I also knew that Coachnet is supposed to cover all your vehicles much like AAA.

Anyway, it turned out there were no mobile mechanics in the area they could send out to help us and instead arranged for a tow. Confusing system. They paid for the tow, but would not have paid for a mechanics service call. 

As it turned out, we waited until morning for the tow so Craig could wait for a repair. The problem?  A loose connection on the battery. We had had a battery disconnect switch installed this summer when we were having problems with a dead battery on the Jeep after towing. But then another RVer told us how to set up the Jeep so we didn't need to use it. This is what rattled loose on our drive, not an original Jeep connection.

So, we are back in business so to speak, and very glad we have a service like Coachnet.

On The Road to Ruins

I totally enjoyed every day we spent at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, but it was finally time to move on. If you want more information about going to the Fiesta, Nina over at Wheeling It has written three excellent posts about all of the details, including volunteering to crew on the launch field. Whether you plan on going someday or not, these are great posts about a wonderful event. Thank you Nina!

We only went 19 miles from the Fiesta grounds on the first night. Craig wanted to get our Blue Ox towbar serviced, and the easiest way to do that was to take it over to the LaMesa RV dealership that was just down the road from the RV park where we stayed a few days before the Fiesta. This also gave me a chance to catch up on nine days of wash, and to get our holding tanks emptied.

We had held off making any travel plans in advance because we know that the weather at this time of the year can fluctuate. Since the temperatures look good, we've decided to head northwest towards Mesa Verde and Monument Valley, then swing down to the Four Corners area, and eventually Canyon De Chelly.  We have a month long reservation in San Diego starting just before Thanksgiving, but that is still five weeks and more than a thousand miles away.

These plans might change on a day by day basis, so we're not making plans or reservations for more than two days ahead. If it gets cold and rainy, we will head south sooner.

Our next stop was the small town of Aztec, New Mexico.We stayed two nights at the Ruins Road RV park just a few blocks from the Aztec Ruins National Monument. 

This is the first of several ancient ruins we will be visiting during the next few weeks.  

We learned a lot about the Plains Indians and their way of life during our travels this summer.

These ruins are of complex buildings built by the early Pueblo people. No "Aztecs" were involved. It seems the early Spaniards referred to all things "long-past Indian" as "Aztec", and the place was named by early Anglo settlers. It was built by the Pueblo people between 1000-1200 AD. It was a public building containing hundreds of rooms. 

We followed the provided trail map and explored the site.

There were many small rooms with low connecting doors.

Modern Pueblo people say the Ruins are not dead, and that the spirits of their ancestors are still there.

I felt a presence.

The site was excavated between 1916 and the 1930's, including the reconstruction og the Great Kiva

This is what it might have looked like inside.

When the Kiva was in use, the walls  were surfaced by a coating of mud "stucco". The roof was made with large logs harvested many miles away.

Seeing, feeling and exploring this site, motivated us to drive fifty miles South to an earlier ruin at the Chaco Culture National Historic Park.

From Highway 550 the drive into the park was not pleasant, even with a Jeep.

We went some miles on a nice paved road, then about 10 miles on a gravel, county-maintained road, followed by five or more miles of horrible, rough, washboard, unmaintained road that led to a short stretch of paved road into the park. Upon arrival I asked a Ranger about the roads and was told that the Southern route was just as bad. Despite this the dry camp campground was full!  I would never bring our Alfa into this place. 

We first went to the Visitors Center, watched the movie, and the drove the loop thru the park stopping at the Pueblo Bonito complex.

 The canyon is not deep, but the walls overlooking the pueblo were impressive. 

These huge sandstone rocks are what is left from when the cliff-face shed a formation called "Dangerous Rock" in 1941. It crushed 30 or so rooms of the Great House ruin.

The rock fall came close to this wall. The tapering profile of the wall shows how the addition of a second and third story was planned from the onset of building. 

We enjoyed exploring this site and learning more about the history of these peoples.

No one knows why the Pueblo peoples abandoned this and other sites, but these ruins remind us of the fact that there was civilization and engineering long before the arrival of the Spaniards with their missions and Christianity. 

What will archeologists think about the remains of our great cities in the future?

Spring Travel Advice Wanted

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been checked off our bucket list! But this post needed a few pictures, so I added a few from our last day down on the launch field.

Saturday morning's launch was into a beautifully clear blue sky

I have started thinking about next year. I know, I know, we have several months of travel to enjoy yet this year, but I am a planner.

As I look forward to our third full-time summer, I see that we are not yet ready to settle into a snowbird lifestyle of spending several months in one place in summer and one place in the winter.  We still have too many sights to see. 

We are thinking of spending next summer up in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. To get there, we plan on spending February and March along the Gulf of Mexico, then taking a leisurely meander up the Atlantic Coast.

Did you know that Purple People Eaters like fast food too?

I would really like to catch Springtime in the South, and visit some of the renowned gardens and plantation homes. Although when I see the devastation caused by the flooding, I wonder if that is a good idea. Perhaps we should leave that part of the country for a future year. 

Another route to the Northeast is to go up through Mississippi or Alabama in April and on through Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia in May. I'd like to get to Maine by mid-June. 

Any advice or thoughts about these two routes would be very welcome. I have no idea what the weather is like in these areas in spring. Are there big storms and tornados in Tennessee and Kentucky in April and May? Is it cold? 

Of course, this is all speculation. We might end up in Colorado or Oregon. We will try to float as free as the balloons we enjoyed all this week. 

Where will you be next Spring?

Special Shapes "Glowdeo" at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Basically the days of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta can be broken into three parts. 
Early morning: dawn patrol at 6 AM, mass ascension at 7 AM,
evening: glows, musical performances, and AfterGlow fireworks,
daytime: flying competitions and non-balloon events.

Because of the weather, some of the evening glows have been cancelled. On Friday it was perfect, so we decided to go down to the launch field for the Special Shapes Glowdeo.

As the sky began filling with soft pink clouds the tethered balloons were inflated one by one all around us. They do not fly in the dark, but the propane flames illuminate them beautifully from within.
  

We saw some balloons that we had not seen before.  Mr. Owl was quite a delight!

We did see the owl glowing, but as with some other images here, the pictures of him unlit were better than the glowing ones.

Humpty Dumpty was a surprise since all other characters were upright.

As darkness fell the night was filled with the whoosh of propane flames. They do not run the burners continuously. They give it just enough to keep the balloons from tipping over, but not enough for them to lift off. Some of the time, it is very hard for the crew to hold the baskets down.

We had not seen this big guy before. He looked so happy, and so much like he wanted to play with the big balloon balls all around.

This Fiesta is one of the few that allow the public to be down on the launch field. When all of the huge characters are fully inflated, things become quite crowded. They are so big.

Who could not be happy under this enormous smile?

Finally, one by one they went dark and were deflated. The zebra was one of the last to go. 

We have so many happy memories from this week. If I ever find myself doubting what we are doing living in an RV instead of being proper "retired people in a house", I will come back to these posts and say "that's why!"

After the nightly fireworks show,  it was time to make our way back to the bus stop and get in line for a ride back to our RV. Some people complain about huge crowds, but I have found everyone in this one to be in a great mood. No pushing, no grumpy words or rudeness. All of the lines for food, buses and potties were long, but everyone was very patient! 

How could you not be after a show like that? 

Balloon Ride and 1000th Blog Post:

It would be nice if everyone could go for a balloon ride at least once in their lifetime. Thursday was our day. We had the choice of going with the Rainbow Ryders, the company that has the exclusive franchise for rides from the launch field of the Balloon Fiesta, at $450 per person plus tax and tip, and go in a large balloon basket that holds a dozen or more people, or to go on a ride with Private Balloon Flights, a smaller off-Fiesta-grounds operation, with only five including our pilot in the basket, and pay only $250 per person.  On Friday of last week, a pilot and flight instructor that flew for PBF came to give a brief presentation about ballooning to our Escapees group, and we were confident we would have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Venus and the moon shine brightly at 5 AM

We had to drive six miles, check in at a small strip mall by 6 AM,   and then drive a few more miles to a city park where our balloon would be launched with several others.

It was still dark at the park, as we watched them spread out the seventy foot envelope for our balloon while our "sister" balloons  were starting to fill.

These two were a father and son from Chicago and were our fellow passengers. They held the bottom hole open while the large fan blew cool air in to inflate it.

Mona, our pilot, fired the burner to add hot air and complete the inflation.

Once it was upright and tugging at the mooring lines, we all climbed aboard and were off.

The sun was just coming up over the mountains as we floated away from the park. This picture is of one of our sister balloons.






















Pictures from the ride: 

We saw the balloons from the Fiesta Grounds flying and landing in the distance.

Flying or floating?

I would rather be in our Alfa than living down there. Is that sour grapes? I just remember to clearly how much of an anchor a big house can be.

Our sister balloon is below us as we both float over the Rio Grande River. 


The pilots were in radio contact. 

Happy riders. 

All too soon after about 45 minutes, our pilot started to plan our landing. She talked with the chase crew and selected a set of three baseball diamonds that were ahead. 

But, another balloon had the same destination in mind, and there was a wind shift just before touchdown.  Mona very skillfully took us to a rough, narrow space along the outer edge of the fields. We bumped a bit, but we were safely down.

After we got out, a second couple got aboard and we watched as they took off. This gave another element of fun to the experience because we now joined the boys in the chase crew van and tracked their flight.






















The second flight landed in a field with lots of large sagebrush and cactus, but no trees! Rather than try to deflate there, we walked the basket to the edge of the bordering road. This was accomplished by Mona giving it just enough heat to cause the basket to rise off the ground, but not to fly away. Then with the help of all, it was guided around and over the brush.

A local family came out and were very excited to see the landing and help with the pack up.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been quite an experience. Going for a balloon ride was an unforgettable and wonderful experience.

Blog Post #1000

When I started this blog in 2010 I only hoped, dreamed, and imagined traveling the country as a fulltime RVer. The idea of doing this was actually my husband Craig's idea, brought up some years earlier when he wanted to retire early. At first I couldn't see how we could make it financially, considering health insurance costs and all. I also could not imagine not having a house, nor doing my sculpture work on the road. But little by little the idea did grow on me, and by 2010 I was ready.  Of course it took us several more years to get the house fixed up and sold, but it all worked out. 

Craig continued his employment for a few more years, I retired the art business, we aged into Medicare and Social Security, and the proceeds from the sale of our house provided enough income to allow us to travel without debt.

So here we are and I'm writing my 1000th post, two years into living full time in our Alfa motorhome. Still healthy. Still excited about what we are doing each day and the new places we are traveling to. 

What was once only a dream, is now our reality.

RV life is good!

Ups and Downs at the Balloon Fiesta

On Tuesday morning we once again stayed in the RV parking area and watched the balloons fly and land in the nearby field. On Wednesday we went down to the launch area and cheered some of the same balloons as they inflated and took off. We seem to see something new each day.

The Dawn Patrol all lit up on the launch field

On Wednesday we watched the Creamland Cow being inflated,

launched, and floated away. She sure was big!

On Tuesday we had watched her land in the field and be packed into a not-so-little bag. The average round balloon, like the one next to her, is about 90 feet tall.

Darth Vader is a crowd favorite. We have seen him in pictures from past years, and saw him flying in the distance a few times this year.















On Wednesday we got to see him up close on the launch field.

Every balloon is different. Every balloon has a name and is inspected by the FAA each year, or after 100 hours of flight time, whichever comes first.

We have seen many Special Shapes balloons flying with the others, but are wondering what we will see in the next two days when they do what they call the Special Shapes Rodeo, and Special Shapes Glowdown.







But until then here is another that has been flying:

Notice how tiny the basket is compared to the spaceman!

Tomorrow is going to be very exciting. We are going to take a ride in a balloon! Check back to see how it went!

Butt for now I will leave you with one other thing we smiled about. We have often seen police on horseback at large public events. I guess it is easier for them to get around than on foot, and being astride a tall animal gives them a better view of the people. We chuckled at the strings of LED lights on the horses. I guess this gives new meaning to "Tail Lights".

The End