It has been an absolute whirlwind since Dave and I retired and Hannah graduated. We took our first trip--to Quincy to celebrate the 4th of July, Dale's recovery from breaking his ankle, and the 118 degree heat index--and our second to visit our friends in Durango.
We stopped in Mesa Verde National Monument on the way to Durango and had a wonderful adventure. We had dinner in a fantastic restaurant that no one would expect to find out there in the middle of nowhere, and got up early to tour Spruce Tree House on our own and take off on an amazing hike to Petroglyph Point. It was a shady hike along the side of a canyon at that time of the morning. It would have been brutal later in the day. There was not a lot of elevation gain, but a lot of scrambling over and between boulders, up rough-hewn rock stairs. At one point there was an arrow pointing to what had to be a foothold. The obvious message--put your foot here, grab as much of this boulder as you can, and hoist yourself up. Dave never even batted an eye. Up he went. That new knee is priceless, just in case anyone is wondering.
We ended the day on a tour of Cliff House, the largest of the dwellings, with a Native American guide named Clyde who taught us about the symbolism of the Kivas. We are all much more closely related than we ever imagined. It was a beautiful experience.
On to Durango and then Bill and Diana's place at Vallecito Lake. Next post and photos to come.
