January 2006 Mesa Verde Trip
Cliff Palace at Noon, January 9, 2006. (Digital photo by J. C. Foster)
Mesa Verde rises above the Southwestern Colorado high desert 30 miles west of Durango. Steep 1000-foot cliffs isolate the southward-sloping tableland of the mesa top from the farms and rangeland surrounding it. Deep canyons cut fingers into the mesa and provide the sandstone alcoves which shelter the 800-year-old ruins.
Monica and Scott live at 8000 ft altitude in the Morefield Campground, 4 miles from Highway 160 connecting Cortez with Durango. Park headquarters and the cliff dwellings are 20 miles south along the Mesa.
The high mountains around Silverton and Telluride lie 2-hours drive to the north.
The Crew
(Click on the thumbnail to see full-size picture)
Trail Pictures:
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Living on the Mesa :
http://www.haystack.edutri.htm -- Revised: January 11, 2006
E-mail:
jcf@haystack.mit.edu
