Mesa Verde gave us a totally different experience as we learned about the Ancestral Puebloans. Modern southwestern Native American tribes descended from these people. We took three tours which were very educational and entertaining, but physical. We walked ¼ mile into the Cliff Dwelling with five 8-10’ ladders, 151 rooms of approximately 6 by 8 feet, and then exiting via a 100 foot climb. Next we bravely went to the Balcony House, which is thought to be a ceremonial sight since it contains features which identify the summer solstice. This was the most physically challenging. You enter the dwelling by climbing a 32-foot ladder and exit by climbing 60 feet of ladder and cliff side. Next day, after resting, we toured the Long House, which consisted of 150 rooms, that had two 15’ ladders within the ruins and 120 foot elevation to exit. Although we were challenged physically, the tours were worth every ounce of effort. We learned about kivas, sipapus, and their culture. We also viewed many sights that exhibited other types of ancient dwellings.

Next we drove on to Montrose from which we first went to Ouray, know as “the Switzerland of America.” The Indians came to Ouray to get out of the heat and to bath in the healing waters of the hot springs, which they considered scared. Here we drove up Canyon Creek towards Yankee Boy Basin where the opening of the “Sound of Music” was made. We saw many unbelievable water falls due to the huge snowfall in Colorado. We did not make it as far as the Basin due to deteriorating roads. From here we drove on to Box Canyon Park where you walked down to see the falls which are almost completely enclosed by rock. Again because of the snow melt, the falls were spectacular due to the volume of water traveling down the creek. Traveling on we went up the million dollar highway to Bear Creek Falls – another spectacular view. We returned to Ouray to tour the historic town.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison was our next stop. The Canyon is an awesome sight because it is so uncharacteristic for the area. It is 48 miles long and not more than 1750 feet wide and in some places is 2700 feet deep.

Telluride, our next stop, was a mining town that has since been discovered and is now an upscale ski area and cultural event center. Back in 1889, Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank here, which is now a Stetson haberdashery. Due to the gas prices, Jack found us a ranch to buy. It consists of 3100 acres, 77,000 square feet of living and recreational space for small a mere $88,000,000. We are taking donations!

We tried to drive to Bridal Veil Falls, a 330 foot twin waterfall, but could not get up to the bottom of the falls due to the road conditions. The view was still spectacular. We rode the gondola up to Mountain Village and back, overlooking the ski area and many gorgeous homes. Next we walked thru historic downtown viewing many numerous original buildings with quaint expensive shops.