March 2014 - Mesa Verde
A visit to one of my favorite places in the country: Mesa Verde. Cliff dwellings, mesa ruins, and some wildlife!
A visit to one of my favorite places in the country: Mesa Verde. Cliff dwellings, mesa ruins, and some wildlife!
|
|
|
| The Mesa Verde plateau high above the surrounding plains | At 8572 feet | The mountains off in the distance |
|
|
|
| An American kestrel! He was a bit shy and wouldn't come close enough for a really great picture, but even at a distance he was beautiful | The kestrel taking off | A brilliant spot of blue in the deset |
|
|
|
| That same bluebird | Deer! | It must be boys' night out... 5 bucks! |
|
|
|
| Turkey. A bit late for Thanksgiving though. | A scrub jay! | Cliff dwellings! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Climbing down into one of the holes | In the hole | The valleys that were once full of cliff dwellings |
|
|
|
| More ruins | Some ruins from on top of the mesa | |
|
|
|
| A city at the far side of the canyon | A lone wall is all that survives here | A two-layer dwelling, the penthouse of yore |
|
|
|
| Another multi-level | ||
|
|
|
| A triple-layer dwelling! With a nice burnt forest on top. | More ruins from the top of the mesa | |
|
|
|
| Native water reservoirs, from 750 A.D.! | ||
|
|
|