La Mesa No Es Verde

We visited Mesa Verde today, but it really is not green.  It is various shades of yellow and brown with a little green mixed in.  The drought is very apparent there, and between that and the several fires they have had since 2000, it is really bad.

That did not keep us from enjoying the day, however.  When we arrived at the Visitor Center, we went in thinking that was where we would pay.  It was just to book walking tours, however, and since the walking tours involved climbing long ladders. I opted to pass.  Getting frozen on one ladder is quite enough for me.  I got out of that one, but thought I had better not test my luck.  So we drove in, and for $15, we were able to do many things without an extra charge.

We knew it would be hot, so we got an early start.  We were the third group down to the Spruce Tree House.  The walk was rather steep, but it was shady and cool, so it did not bother us.  This particular dwelling is 90% as it was in the 1200s, so it was very interesting.  Again, the rock work was amazing.  We were very surprised that very little reconstruction had occurred.

We began to compare the development of civilization in the Old World versus the New World.  The Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and others had accomplished much more before the Anasazi even showed up.  Don and I spent some time pondering why . . . and what . . . and it was too overwhelming.

The Spruce Tree House was well worth our time, and we found a very distinct beauty in it.