Mesa Verde

Yesterday morning we headed to the Mesa Verde NP visitors center to get tickets for a cliff dwelling tour and to let the kids stamp their NP Passports.  We heard that on one of the more interesting tours you had to climb a 30 foot ladder to get to the dwelling, so we weren't sure if they would have an age restriction for that tour or not. We found out there are no restrictions on any of the tours (which is kinda surprising), so we decided to go for it, and bought our tickets for the Balcony House tour.  We had several hours before the tour, so we drove up to the museum to learn a more about the Anasazi (Big Sister learned a bit about them in CC this past school year) and to let the kids complete their Junior Ranger booklets.  Spruce Tree House is the cliff dwelling that's directly behind the museum.  We toured it last time we were in the park, when Big Sister was a baby 😊. Unfortunately it is closed for the foreseeable future because of a rock slide in 2015 and a potential rock slide that they are watching (and hoping to stabilize).  They still have great onservation areas open, and the kids were excited to take it all in with Big Sister's binoculars.  From there we drove around the Mesa Top Loop where we saw some pit houses, which were the earliest homes built in the area, and viewed more cliff dwellings across the canyon.  

Before our tour we read more about the Pueblo people in a book Big Sister and I found at the NP book store (educational books that the kids are interested in is my weakness!).  We decided that Little Bud should be in the hiking backpack for the tour, since I wasn't sure he would be able to safely climb the 32 foot ladder.  I wasn't overly concerned about the ladder until it was our turn to go up, but climbing a ladder that tall with people in front of and behind you on the ladder is not an experience I'm interested in repeating!  I was super nervous, but Big Sister (who climbed up on her own, beside me and in front of John) and Little Bud thought it was great!  The tour was very interesting, and we were able to walk around the dwelling, so I am thankful for the experience.  When the tour was over, to get back up to the road level we had to crawl through an 18 inch wide tunnel and climb up 2 - 12 foot ladders.  Little Bud stayed out of the backpack once we were up in the dwelling and climbed those ladders on his own (with John's help).  I was a nervous wreck again, but everyone else thought it was great fun!  So many times I find myself biting my tongue so I don't pass my fears onto my kids.  I think at best I'm only half successful at that :/

 

  

 

 

Taking the pledge to become Mesa Verde Junior Rangers :)