Mesa Verde National Park 3

(9/18 and 9/19 continued)

The Ancestral Puebloans occupied a number of alcoves. Two other cliff houses can be visited.

Spruce Tree House is the best preserved and can be visited without a guide.

Balcony House is the most difficult to access. The guide began by telling us not to take the tour if we had heart or respiratory problems, acrophobia or claustrophobia. We had to climb several ladders, crawl through narrow passageways in the rock, and at the end ascend a rock face to leave the site.

Judy appeared to handle it all just fine, but she said later that the rock face was really hard for her. She's glad she did it, though!

Square Tower House is a beautiful complex visible from an overlook. Several other alcove houses can also be seen from overlooks. There is much more to Mesa Verde than we had expected.

What most impressed us about the park was a sense of respect for the people who had lived here and for the existing Pueblo tribes, including the Hopi and the Zuni, who view Mesa Verde as a sacred place and continue to visit it.