Mesa Verde, Part Deux

Since Don and I had been to Mesa Verde six years ago, we somewhat knew what would be a “good day,” and since Bart had never been, we made our suggestion.

Unfortunately, the closest cliff dwelling we could visit was closed in 2015 because of a falling-rock hazard, so we could only see it from above.  We took off on the path to Petroglyph Point, and this time, we remembered our water.

Woody joined us on the hike

The day was lovely, with cool temperatures, a nice breeze, and some clouds in the sky.  It made for beautiful hiking weather. I read my blog from last time, and it said, “Don and I were glad we had lost a collective 40+ pounds . . . “ I had to laugh, as we have gained back that weight, but we still found the trail manageable.  I was pleased that both of us managed without much problem, and we are fortunate that we both still have good knees, as some of the rocky areas needed every bit of strength we had.

Several years ago, I wrote a paper about Petroglyphs, and I have been fascinated by them for years. This time when we went to Petroglyph Point, I took more time looking at them and enjoying them.  One of the highlights was the part that appears to be a map from life to death.  We had not figured that out last time.  I also loved the parrots.  They are so fascinating to me . . . I wish I knew what they all meant.

The hands are the signatures of the artists, and the parrots are to the left of the hand

And this time because we had water, we were able to hike the whole trail, rather than turn back. The hike was a unique one, and we are very glad we did it again!