August 12, 2022
Native American tour
no cycling
A few people have mentioned that I should visit Mesa Verde National Park as I will be cycle nearby on my way from Dolores to Durango.
So I emailed my Warmshower hosts David and Belinda near Dolores about how best to visit Mesa Verde because getting there involves a large one way climb. However they responded instead, that if I want to, I could go with them on a guided tour of a different area, which has similar sites to see but is less crowded.
I gladly accepted their offer and so on this Friday morning, we drive south to a Native American information centre to meet our guide Ricky. Joining us is Dylan from Las Vegas who is on his own driving tour.
Initially, the morning part of our tour is okay as Ricky shows us some kitchen and pottery remains which remind me of indigenous middens in Australia. While the rock artwork is a lot younger than in Australia. Still we are driving through some amazingly tall dry rocky hills.
Every time Ricky stops at a location, he pours some water to replenish this dry place. I haven't seen done before.
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Thankfully the afternoon part of the tour makes up for a lacklustre morning as we are guided into a canyon via some wooden ladders. Soon we are walking towards some amazing man made stone buildings built by Native Americans under cliff faces. Many walls are straight or built accurately in a circle. While water was collected in sites along the cliff face.
The most impressive and last site is Eagle's Nest which was built in a cave on a rock edge. Accessing it requires us to climb a ladder and walk along a cliff to access it.
In a way these buildings styles remind me of visiting Roman sites in Europe. However apparently they were used much more recently but were abandoned by the time Ranchers found them in the late 1800s.
I only saw a few of the many thousands they estimate are in the southwest of the USA.
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