Dan Will Travel

GETTING SICK AT MESA VERDE – Could it be covid-19???

During my 3 nights at Mesa Verde National Park, I started getting ill. I have not had any illness at all since the Covid-19 situation began, so panic set in. I was feverish, and very lethargic. So, travelling alone, I started through a mental check list of known covid symptoms. Could I still taste my beer? Yes. What about the potato chip’s? Yes. Was I short of breath? Yes, but the park is at 8,000’ so I decided that was the reason for the shortness of breath.

Since most of the park was closed off due to the virus and fire restrictions, I had a spare day and just slept it off. And, the next day, I was fine. Whew!

But, even with the restrictions, this is an amazing historical park. I have traveled the world searching out antiquities and some of the very best are right here in Colorado. There are over 4,500 archaeological sites within the park, many still not researched to any degree. They are literally everywhere. Below the cliffs of course, bur also on the mesa itself.

Cliff Palace. Amazing small city under the canyon rim, dating from the 1200’s. In normal times, guided tours are available but not this year. Noting that 4 ladders were part of the tour, not going was probably fine for me!

A different view of the Cliff Palace. This shows how they built into the cliffs below the mesa where they farmed and gathered food. Really quite amazing and these villages were really everywhere. Although this is larger than most.

Square Tower House is another of the major villages here. Again, from the 1200’s but the people had been here on the mesa since maybe 500 AD or so. They began moving from the Mesa into the cliff dwellings around 1000 AD.

Another of the over 4,500 archaeological sites in the park. They probably lived in the lower site, and the upper one was probably grain and food storage.

A more distant view of Cliff House showing the setting right below the mesa

After a total cloudburst rainstorm at check in, I walked out on my balcony and this is what I saw! Look closely, there is a faint second rainbow to the right.

Posted: September 4, 2020 by admin

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NATURAL BRIDGES AND THE MOKI DUGWAY

Next stop on the way to those 4 corners is Natural Bridges National Monument, a small, isolated Utah park with these huge natural bridges. This is a great park, easy to do, and you will be mostly alone here. These bridges are carved by water making them technically different from the arches at the other Utah parks.

The 180 foot wide span of Owachomo Bridge.

Looking down at Sipapu bridge. it was hard to get a good perspective on this one. It is huge. 268 foot span and 220 feet high!

After that, I headed down Utah 261, 22 miles of freshly paved highway that goes to or through no towns and then ends abruptly at the top of a cliff. Pavement ends, gravel begins, and then you pretty much drop down the side of the cliff. I have done many amazing roads over the years but this is as exciting and scary as any! And then, when you reach the canyon floor, the pavement begins anew and off you go like nothing happened.

OK, end of pavement, lets take a look. And there is the road starting again far below. So how do I get from here to there?

So, looking a bit closer over the edge, what do I see? A dead car, and probably the occupant? Now this is all before starting the drive down. This a guy with major fear of heights and drop offs. But there is no alternative so here we go!

Looking at what’s ahead. Narrow dirt road, huge drop off, no guard rail and a blind curve. Otherwise, not much, huh?

Well, about half way. Taking a breather to stop the body shaking and damn, traffic coming. I think I will just wait until they pass.

OK, they passed. Look at that one now well above me. If you look closely, the lower stretch of the road is across the bottom of the shot.

OK, it is over! It was scary, but fun too. Now, a flat, paved road beacons me with only a big thunderstorm to deal with.

Posted: August 31, 2020 by admin

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Canyonlands National Park

Nothing really prepares one for this experience. A long drive uphill to a gentle rolling prairie of grass and juniper trees. Pretty, but where are the canyons? And then, wow, you reach an overlook and OMG there they are stretched out before you as far as you can see. And this day I am just doing the Island in the Sky part of this huge wilderness park. Without a 4 wheel drive and back country skills, all you can really see is from the overlooks, but they are just so spectacular it is plenty for a great experience.