The Road to Mesa Verde

I woke up early as usual the morning after our physically and emotionally exhausting day and went for a run around the town of Tusayan - basically just ran up and down the main road. I did venture into the woods for about 1/4 of a mile but was a little freaked out by the lack of human contact so I turned around and came back, but not before saying good morning to an elk who was hanging out by the trail. 

It was difficult to shake the events of the previous day. I kept thinking about the fact that these teenagers had been in my house, using it with no regard to the fact that they were invading our privacy and our sense of security. I found out later in the day that they had gone into my bedroom and stolen jewelry, nothing expensive but sentimental items that are irreplaceable. It was a small consolation that they were found with these items and that I would get them back. The image of these losers digging through our possessions had the potential of hanging a dark cloud over my head on what was supposed to be another incredible day of discovery. 

I managed to shake it off. John reminded me that everything of value was right there with us and that we were in the best place we could be for something like this to happen: far, far away. We hit the open road once again, this time circling the rim of the canyon on our way out and stopping to take just one more photo.

 

Our destination that day was Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado, but first we had a few stops to make. Stopping occasionally is key on a long driving day since the kids tend to get grouchy and restless when the driving goes on for too long. They've long since stopped asking "How much longer?" every five minutes, but it's pretty obvious when they've had enough. 

Our first stop was Page, Arizona, home of Antelope Canyon. This was recommended to me by a friend and I decided to add it to our itinerary at the last minute. Definitely a good move! We actually had to pay $8 per person to the Navajo Nation to enter their land and then purchase tickets to tour the actual canyon. The canyon isn't visible from the road; you have to have a guide to take you down into it. Getting in there isn't easy - we had to climb very carefully down a series of very steep, narrow metal steps, at times backwards like climbing down a ladder. There were a few hairy moments but then we were inside the canyon.

Words can't describe this place. We wound our way through narrow passageways and every look up and around presented a different vantage point of the incredible orange and red swirls around us. Once I get home I'll add photos to this post to show how it looked. The kids loved it and were both taking pictures the entire time. Our guide Tyler entertained us with his dry sense of humor and took everyone's cameras/iPhones at strategic points to take incredible photos for us that we otherwise would not have taken. At the very end when we emerged from the hole in the ground, he did a short presentation with sand and water to show how the canyon was formed. The high school science teachers who were walking through the canyon with us got it on video and said they'd be showing it to their students. Definitely worth the money and time to stop.

 

We walked across the hot parking lot to our RV, switched on the generator and settled in for lunch. That's the great part about traveling with an RV; you have your kitchen with you so you can stop anyplace at anytime to make lunch and hang out in the a/c while everyone else is sweating under the 100 degree sun.

We got on the road again and drove for miles and miles across vast, open spaces. The enormity of this country and the amount of open space is just mind blowing. The terrain would change but yet there would be nothing and no one around for hundreds of miles. It was getting late but we had to stop at our next destination: The Four Corners National Monument where four states meet - Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Surprise - we had to pay $5 per person to enter the park, again to the Native Americans who own the land. Unfortunately it seems that this entry fee was not used to  upkeep the parking lot as we had to dodge potholes and bumps as we made our way in.

Four Corners is pretty cool. We took the requisite family photo but when I saw an older teenage girl do a backbend with her hands and feet in all four states I told Ella she had to do it. By then a crowd of people had gathered, all waiting for their photo op. Ella was resistant at first since she's not a big fan of having attention drawn to herself, but she finally did it and inspired other kids to try the same. One of the coolest photos we've taken on our trip.

 

We got off the highway and drove through the little town of Cortez, Colorado. Throughout our trip Jack has been looking for a KFC since he has some weird obsession with the $5 Fill-up special. As we drove through Cortez I spotted a KFC and yelled out to Jack. We've been yelling at the kids to look out the window at different sites throughout the trip and they've developed some selective hearing as a result. But the mention of KFC resulted in a joyous reaction from Jack who from that moment on kept talking about how he'd be having his KFC $5 lunch on the way out in a few days. It's the little things, people. 

At long last we pulled into our campground at the base of the Mesa Verde, just in time for the sunset. We had a nice space on the end of a row with a view of the mountains. Despite the dry air the mosquitoes were rampant. Jack and Ella discovered a tetherball onsite. I was excited about taking advantage of the pool and hot tub, but that would have to wait. It was time to get to bed in order to get up bright and early yet again to tackle another National Park and beat the crowds. 

Next stop: Mesa Verde National Park - home of incredible cliff dwellings and eccentric park rangers.