From New Mexico, we headed north to Colorado to see Mesa Verde National Park. This park encompasses over 52,000 acres. From most of the park, you can see gorgeous views that extend for miles from the top of the mesas. In case you were wondering, a mesa is a flat-topped mountain or hill with steep sides that is isolated and stands out above the surrounding plain. The word “mesa” is Spanish for “table” and refers to the flat top of a mesa that resembles a table. Between the mesas, are beautiful canyons and open grass areas
After you drive the park road for 20 plus miles, the uniqueness of this park starts to unfolds. This is where you begin to see the living structures dating back to approximately 1200 AD. Here, the Ancestral Pueblo people built their villages beneath the overhanging cliffs. The crown jewel of these communities is the Cliff Palace.
Another beautiful cliff village is Square Tower House.
A portion of the park is still owned by the Indian Nations. They have a small souvenir area and a stand where they make ‘fry bread’ to order. They had me at bread!
While in the area, we took a ride to Durango, CO. This is great little town. I bet it is really hopping in the winter at the ski resort by the name of Purgatory! We stopped in to a store and met this little lady, Bubbles.
I know you are thinking to yourself, wait that is Cole, why did you put a flower on his collar. No this is really Bubbles. Her and Cole had a nice little chat as they looked at each other thinking, WOW you look like me!!
Well we are off to our next spot, can’t wait to see what beauty awaits us!
Oh my goodness this place is beautiful! You look like you are enjoying yourself and Cole is having a good time with his new friend.
Thanks for sharing.
After beautiful Bryce Canyon, we headed to the last of the 'mighty five' National Parks in Utah, Zion National Park. This park is a little different from many of the ones that we have been to so far. Most of the parks have a scenic route with various pullouts and parking areas showcasing the beauty of the park. At these stops, there are trails of various lengths taking you closer to the sights....
So we thought we had seen the best that Utah National Parks had to offer, and then we went to Bryce Canyon. I can not even begin to describe the beauty in this National Park. The park has an 18 mile scenic drive, with the first 3 miles of the drive called the Bryce...
We continued our journey through southern Utah over to Capital Reef NP. Looking at the map below, our travels took us north of Arches and Canyonlands up to Interstate 70. We headed south and traveled along the western side of Canyonlands NP.
On our way ov...
Canyonlands National Park is also in the Moab area. Although close in proximity, this park could not be more different from Arches. As towering as many of the rock formations are in Arches, the Canyonlands views are hundred times deeper. The contrast of these lo...
You are making good progress! Checking parks off the bucket list. Thanks for all the updates! Enjoy!
Very cool! Glad Cole met a lady friend!
Oh my goodness this place is beautiful! You look like you are enjoying yourself and Cole is having a good time with his new friend.
Thanks for sharing.