Today we headed back to Arizona. We finally got packed up, said all our goodbyes to everyone we worked with this summer and hit the road about 10:30Am. We didn't get to tell Jamie and Eric goodbye because they took off for Durango early. Guess they have trouble seeing people go after working with them all summer. Sorry we didn't get to thank them for a great summer. We're not going to hurry back because it's still pretty hot in Arizona. We're taking a few detours on the way back. We drove South from Durango Riverside Resort on US 550 to Durango and then West on US 160 the 50 or so miles to Mancos, Co where Mesa Verde National Park is located. They have about 400 Indian ruins and cliff dwellings there that we've been wanting to see so we'll spend a couple days here exploring the sites. These things are amazing. This one is called "Cliff Palace". It's built about 100 - 150 ft down the side of a sheer rock face. We photographed it form the observation deck above. You can take a guided tour with a park ranger explaining everything. The problem is the climb required. They tell you if your not in shape for a strenuous climb down and back up, to pass it up. The climb down wouldn't be too bad since it's down a metal stair case, but to get out, you have to climb a vertical ladder of about 100 steps which I don't think I could do anymore and Judy is afraid of heights so we passed on the tour.
We're going to go back tomorrow and see some more. There is so much to see, you can't do it all in one day. They have mini-tram tour you can take so we'll try that. Hopefully, this time of year it won't be too busy. They've already closed off part of the park for the winter but the rest is open year round. We're staying in a RV park right across the highway from the park entrance, so it's pretty convenient. Judy took Dharma for a walk right after we got here and got set up so she could do her "business". When they were coming back, they passed a field with a bunch of horses in it and one of them came over and stuck his head over the fence as they walked past. Dharma went over and they sniffed nose to nose and then she turned and took off. Must have decided she didn't want anything to do with anything that big.
Alec and Chris, two of the young guys that worked at the park during the summer, stopped to say goodbye this morning before they went to school. Alec, on the left, has been working on the weekends also and is the one who babysat Dharma when we rode the train to Silverton. There good kids and we're going to miss them.