Mesa Verde

After a few days at home, it was time to hop in the car and head out again, this time with Linda and Joan.  We spent the first night in Monroe and took Linda for her first geocaching trip.  We broke her in right away as we made an unexpected water crossing.  I think she's a fan, even after that.

 She found this one all by herself!

 Yesterday morning we headed off to Mesa Verde where we took a Twilight Tour of Cliff Palace led by "Lucy Peabody."  She was called the mother of Mesa Verde for her work in the early 1900's to preserve the park.  She had a big part in getting it to be a national park. 

Today, we headed back to the park for a tour of Balcony House.  From the trailhead, you couldn't see it at all.  It was underneath.  We had to climb a big ladder to get to it.

We made it!

Once inside, we saw some kivas and other rooms and learned about what they know about the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly known as the Anasazi).  One of the guides says that about every five years there is a major theory change so don't get too attached to anything you think you know now.

 These were used for grinding corn, which, along with squash, beans, animals, and seeds, was what they ate.

We had to climb through a tunnel and back up another ladder to get out.

There was a great view from the top!