Thursday, April 18, 2013

Spruce Tree House and Petroglyphs

Tuesday April 16 PART 2

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, Spruce Tree House (name I believe because of the Spruce tree supports for the roof) is the best preserved.

Spruce Tree House
Kivas with a roof and ladder

Photos of Cliff Palace show some open Kivas. These show how they would have been for the people -- covered and a ladder in the center of the roof to get down to the floor.

After our visit and ogling at Spruce Tree, we found the trail -- the 3 mile, a bit challenging -- trail to the Petroglyphs.

Lynne fitting through the needlelike crevice as part of the trail

 

 

A (rest) stop to view the cliffs and mountains

 

Some more climbing
We reach the petroglyphs
We reach the petroglyphs

After the petroglyphs it was about a mile flat trail back to the starting point. Then the drive back to town. It was late afternoon by the time we reached our hotel and I quickly got into biking clothes before any previously mentioned "storm" hit, while Lynne picked up the Walking Tour guide and scouted out more of the town.

I rode up to the Fort Lewis College (that I never knew existed) in search of completing the triathlon route that Cynthia (from the visitor center) had told me about.

I did make it up the two mile gradual hill to campus and had a fine view of the San Juan Mountains on a day they called for high winds (meaning a lot of dust in the air), rain and probably snow).

 

The clouds never did bring any bad weather.

My success for riding the triathlon route ended there as I missed the turn to keep me on Rim Drive and ended up on steep switchbacks that brought me back to town. Although I was disappointed to not do the route, I was not willing to climb back up that two mile hill, so I meandered back to the old standby -- the Animas River Trail - for more riding before heading home.

Shower, dinner in the Saloon with live entertainment (cowboy strummin' his guitar and singing) ended our beautiful day.

 

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