We are once again a bit behind...we were lucky enough to stay inside Grand Canyon National Park, but we didn't have internet access.
Sunday morning we woke up early to head to Mesa Verde National Park. For those of you who aren't sure (we weren't before we researched it), Mesa Verde is actually a park interspersed with Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings, a few of which you can visit, either by guided or self-guided tour. With our limited time, we chose to try one of each. Our first tour was at 11:00 AM - Cliff Palace. We purchased our tickets at the Visitor's Center and then drove another 8 miles to meet our Park Ranger, Jeff. Jeff somehow volunteered me to be his assistant for the visit, which started with me leading the tour group down a dirt trail with some stone steps and a ladder, to a spot just above the dwelling we would be touring. After everyone settled in, Jeff proceeded to explain the daily lives of the Ancestral Puebloians through Andy and I - how would we survive regarding shelter, food, etc. It was mildly embarrassing, but we handled it well. Turns out I'm the correct height for a woman back in 1200, so I was singled out. Awesome. We eventually made it down to the dwellings where we were able to get a closer look at this incredible structures and even peek inside one of the closed off rooms that had original wall paintings inside. The tour ended with more stone steps and three ladders back up to the parking area. We got a real feel for thin air.
From there, we drove to the Spruce Tree House, another dwelling, which is self-guided. After a walk down to the site, we were greeted by two more rangers and invited to take a ladder down into a reconstructed Kiva (basically an all-purpose living space with a pit for fire and a roof made from tree branches.) We also met a vole (?), a little chubby mouse creature who seemed to be stuck inside one of the dwelling spaces - the rangers spent the rest of our visit trying to help him out. Right outside the Spruce Tree House is a museum with tons of artifacts detailing every aspect of the lives of the people that made these dwellings their home - it was truly fascinating and a worthwhile stop.
That was all we would have time for in Mesa Verde - we had to get to Grand Canyon National Park, preferably before dark. On the way, we actually passed the Four Corners Monument (where Colorado meets Utah, Arizona and New Mexico), but, unfortunately, it was closed.
The drive wasn't too bad - maybe 4.5 hours - and we arrived well before sunset. As I mentioned, we lucked into a room at the Yavapai Lodge, one of the few places to stay within the park. We had no idea that these places tend to book up to a year in advance, so we must have managed to grab someone's canceled room. After crossing the entrance to the park, we were told we had another 25 miles to go to get to our lodge, so we stopped at the general store just inside to check out the Visitor's Center (closed) and get some wine. We checked into what we thought would be a log cabin room with a bed and a bathroom and were pleasantly surprised to see our room was recently redone (and the website wasn't yet updated.)
We were only about .5 mile from the South Rim Trail, which runs all along the...South Rim. So, we walked out to get our first views of the canyon - you can see it somewhat from the car on the drive in, but it's just not the same. Andy was worried he would be underwhelmed, but it was just not possible. Yet another place that you cannot do justice via photos. If you haven't had the chance to visit, you must - it is just one of those places that show you how much bigger the world is outside your little daily life. Sometimes it is really nice to be humbled :) We attempted a view of the sunset, but it was freezing out and we had heard the weather would be better the following day, so after about a half hour or so, we walked back towards our room. Each of the properties within the park seem to have a restaurant of some type associated with it...luckily ours was a very, very casual cafeteria-style one. So, we stopped there for dinner, which turned out to be quite delicious (pot roast and chili in a bread bowl.) Then back to our room to rest up for Day 2.
We woke up and walked back to the cafeteria for breakfast and sandwiches to take with us for our hike. The entrance point on the rim trail from our lodge left us about .75 mile from one end,
Yavapai Observation Center, so we decided to head that way first, which has a museum, gift shop, and amazing views of the canyon, including glimpses of the Colorado River, which you can only see from certain points.
I think one of the most incredible things about the canyon (should it be Canyon, with a capital "c?") is that just as you think you're getting used to your view, you walk 5 feet and it changes entirely. I won't even attempt to describe it. We walked back down the trail, stopping at different points to take photos, watch some mule deer (and a lizard AND a condor!) and stare at crazy people hanging off the edge of the rim. We went as far out as Hopi Point and then headed back, with a stop for lunch on a bench with a view. We also managed to catch a Native Indian dance performance outside one of the lodges, which was a nice stop. We decided to head back to our room for a rest before dinner and attempt #2 of sunset.
We went back out to our trail around 6:15 to try and get a good spot for sunset viewing, which was supposed to happen at 7:13. With the much nicer weather, it was more crowded than the night before (I think we had seen maybe 5 other people), so we headed back to the Yavapai Observation Center to see what we could see. We found a nice spot on some rocks just below the rim and settled in. As the sun sets, the canyon becomes even more amazing, with shadows changing the look every minute. The other thing that happens as the sun sets is that the temperature drops...brrr. We hung around until about 7:00 and decided to head back down the trail for dinner - unfortunately, not many of the paths are lit, even though the park is open 24 hours...hike at your own risk, people.
You could probably spend quite a few more days at the canyon, attempting a hike below the rim, riding a donkey or using their free shuttle service to see more in less time, but our adventure didn't allow it, so we said an early goodbye and called it a night. This morning, we woke up, ate our last cafeteria meal and said goodbye for real as we drove on to Kanab, UT.
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