Mesa Verde in Summer.

This is it, the final seasonal write up for Mesa Verde.  The first time Roy and I went to this park is in August 2009, just a few months after moving to Utah.  No matter which season, Mesa Verde is simply an amazing place to visit.  Lets start this adventure with the first fifteen miles...







Sky of pure blue; there's nothing like it!!



Montezuma Valley
 

At the Early Pithouse, the simple life of the ancient Native Americans can be seen.

Early Pithouse

Square Tower Ruins still makes me wonder, how did they go up and down the face of those cliffs without falling?



Square Tower Ruins

The Late Pitroom shows how the ancestral Puebloans developed from the simple pithouse lifestyle to villages.

With each season, the natural landscape changes and gives new dimension to the ruin sites.  For instance, in the stark winter, Sunset House stands open and naked to the elements; in the summer, the greenery on trees delicately drapes and shades the ruins.   Go to the Search box on this blog site, look up the other seasons at Mesa Verde and compare the changes throughout the year.

Oak Tree House

Sun Temple

Fire Temple

The Cliff Palace

Sunset House

Pipe Shrine House at Far View

The Ranger at this site told us that this is the only carving found at any of the ruin sites.

This photo I'm posting is a simple plant life curiosity.  This little plant has oblong, fluted leaves that are rounded at the tip and clustered in a basal rosette.  The leaves have hair along the edges, are smooth and soft and seem to be a cross between sage and agave leaves.  The closest photo I could come up with is "Cockscomb cryptantha"; this little plant thrives in sandy and rocky soil.




Again, whatever the season, Mesa Verde will always be a place of wonder and beauty.

Mary Cokenour