Dobbs' Desert Trek 2010

I visited Mesa Verde as a boy, on one of our wonderful family vacations. The place totally captured my imagination: ancient ruins that you had to climb ladders to see, a mysterious people that vanished without explanation. There were endless vista’s with endless possibilities because there were more sites out there that had not been discovered or excavated. You might find “something” at any moment.

This time around I found my imagination less captured. That was particularly true on the first day, when the experience was marred with American tourism, now seen through the eyes of an adult. Our Ranger for Balcony House knew very little, and spoke as though he knew it all. He was directly contradicted by other rangers we talked to or had as tour guides at different sites. Honestly, as nicely as I can put this, he was eye-rolling tedious.

We were in mob sized groups and you couldn’t just look around and experience a place. You had to worry about the guy behind you bumping you off the edge in his mad dash to get the next photo. There were silly questions (and I’m usually patient) and people afraid of ladders. The Ranger would literally yell at anyone who was out of bounds. There was no peace. This unfortunate first tour rankled my nerves and began to make me regret stopping at Mesa (Disneyesque) Verde. I had read that more natural experiences were to be found through the Southwest if you were willing to detour off the paved tourist trails. (we are still hoping to do just that starting out tomorrow, when we head into Utah).

But fortunately that first negative experience was not the norm. Today was a pure delight. We had a 4:00 PM ticket for a tour of Long House and that dictated that we spend our day on the Wetherill mesa; described as the Quiet Side of Mesa Verde.

We are quiet people and really don’t like being treated like cattle (mooo!). I guess I got my fill of crowded clueless tourists working at Disneyland for 7 years. Today, I am happy to say, we were among smaller groups; they were less noisy, generally more thoughtful, and they were really fun to talk to. Many were doing the same things we were doing on this vacation and their questions were interesting and they gave us helpful touring tips. The sites were far less crowded and the were in fact, quieter. You could hear the wind in the canyons, song birds, the rustle of lizards and critters in the brush. It was wonderful.

After a lengthy drive with inspiring views (we could see Shiprock reportedly some 50 miles away, and had amazing views of Cortez) we pulled into the parking lot for the Wetherill Mesa area, named for the ranchers that were the first Anglos to discover the cliff dwelling ruins. Richard Wetherill , unfairly I believe, garnered a negative reputation with the Park Service as a pothunter: a derogatory term for people that scavenge ruins for potter and relics they can sell and make a lot of money off of. In truth, he became fascinated with the Anasazi culture and did much to further the discovery and excavation of sites all over the Southwest. He was a pioneer in early American archeology although he had no formal education in it. There was very little about Wetherill in park literature and signage but there was a shrine-like homage to Adolf Nordenskiold at the visitor center. Nordenskiold was arrested after doing archeology all around Mesa Verde because he was trying to ship a boat load of Anasazi relics to his home in Sweden. I won’t take the time here, but I could do a whole blog on political correctness and the National Park Service (and I’m highly supportive of the park service!).

Our first adventure today was to Step House: a cliff dwelling marked by stone steps leading into the village. Most Cliff dwellings were accessed by hand and toe footholds that would clime hundreds of feet up and down sheer rock walls. Step House is one of the few cliff dwelling sites that features a self-guided tour, so you can take your time. The walk down to it was stunningly beautiful in the cool noon air. The Ranger on duty would be our guide later in the day for Long House, and she was knowledgeable and easy to talk to. She was a highlight for us all today. Here are some photos of Step House:

After a leisurely lunch out of our cooler, we took a tram ride (you have to take the tram on Wetherill Mesa) and saw several Mesa top sites, and two canyon overlook sites. We also saw a herd of feral horses, but I didn’t get any photos so you’ll have to wait for Cheryl’s to see the pony’s.

We finished the day with a Ranger guided tour of Long House; the second largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde. It was a much more accessible site than Cliff Palace (the one you always see photos of), and you could more easily walk around the buildings, kivas and ruins. Our Ranger, Allison, focused her talk on plants of the area, giving us some insight we hadn’t heard on other tours. She was friendly and delightful. Here are some Long House Photos:

Today, I think some of my boyhood wonder was restored. I was able to imagine Anasazi life 700 years ago. I imagined daily life in the cliff dwellings. A common question asked of visitors is “Why did they build here.” You read the same question with speculated answers in books and park literature: “For protection”, “Natural water supply in the caves”, “Because their religion said they came from the ground.” Not once have I heard my favorite reason: They are spectacularly beautiful places to live.