Telluride and Mesa Verde

One thing I definitely wanted to do while I was out west was to visit the cliff dweller sites. Another was to see a prairie dog. I know, highbrow to lowbrow, I covered it all.

On the way to Mesa Verde we passed a sign that said "Telluride 10 miles". Now I had absolutely no desire to see that area but the Bass Man and I agreed that since we were so close we really should go see what all the hoopla was about.

I still can't tell you what is so wondrous there (other than the obvious skiing in winter). But before you get to Telluride, right on the outskirts of town, is a massive prairie dog field. Hundreds of the little buggers. And as soon as you stop, they go shooting down into their holes.

I discovered if you wait a minute they will come back out. But if you focus your camera the movement sends them back underground. As does any kind of noise. You can see why picture taking was such a challenge.

We took the photos and then hopped back into the car for the trip to Mesa Verde. The Cliff Dweller area is not far from the prairie dog land but Colorado has no straight roads through the mountains. It took us a little over an hour to get to the Anasazi Center. The guidebooks recommended stopping there first so we would have some idea of what we would be looking for.

We toured the center, learned some history (the crux of which is that no one really has any idea of who these people were), then climbed the hill behind the center to get an up close view of a pueblo.

At that point I was chomping at the bit to get over to Mesa Verde. Again, not far as the crow flies but 30,000 miles of switchback roads. Or close to it.

It was absolutely stunning. I was a bit nervous about going since I am afraid of heights but my awe overcame most of my fear. I didn't go to the edges of the cliffs but I was close enough to see the buildings.

To see these sites perched on tiny ledges high on the cliffs is worth every crooked mile it takes to get there. I am thrilled to be lucky enough to live in a country where I can see such marvels.