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Thursday (7-08) &
Friday (7-09) |
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After breakfast we set off on a 3 mile hike to Exclamation Point. Along the way were glimpses of the canyon. | ||
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From Exclamation Point, on the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, excellent views are available down the canyon. At its narrowest the canyon is only 1100' wide and at its deepest the canyon is 2700' deep. Rolling terrain leads up to this gash in the Earth. | ||
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On the road again, we drove through the Uncompahgre National Forest as we headed south past Telluride. | ||
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We spontaneously decided that while we were out here we would drive down and see the Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde national Park. This picture was taken after entering the National Park. | ||
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After camping in Mesa Verde, we got up the next morning and headed further into the park to see the Cliff Dwellings. These dwelling were inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans in the 1200's. They are 600' above the river at the bottom of a canyon. This panoramic picture shows Cliff Palace, the largest of the dwellings. | ||
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A ranger guided tour is the best way to see the dwellings up close. To reach the dwellings we descended on steps and a sidewalk from atop the mesa then climbed a four story ladder to enter the dwellings. | ||
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To exit the dwellings it is necessary to crawl on hands and knees through an 18" wide tunnel that is 12' long. The park ranger has a giant toilet plunger handy to force through the larger tourists. | ||
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This picture is of a dwelling called Spruce Tree House. It is accessible via a short hike. | ||
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Glad that we drove to the SW corner of CO to see the Cliff Dwellings, we drove north towards Silverton. This picture was taken at the top of Molas Pass. We camped in the San Juan National Forest, just north of Silverton, next to a fast moving stream. | ||
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We camped in the San Juan National Forest just north of Silverton. A fast moving stream was just beyond our tent... it kept Katie awake and put Aaron to sleep. | ||