Alexander and Vili's hockey season ended March 15. We decided to take advantage of the boys' spring break and head south for warmer weather, to give Vili a taste of Southern Utah's red rock country, and to go to Mesa Verde. Our last attempt to visit Mesa Verde was thwarted when a major forest fire broke out the day we arrived in Durango, Colorado. We went to Arches National Park instead, which is now one of our favorite spots to visit in the Spring and Fall and was part of the itinerary for this trip.

We drove to Durango, Colorado Saturday with a stop in Moab for lunch. It took about 7 hours total drive time, which was not bad and we had all our major driving done the first day. Durango has a great historic downtown with lots of restaurants and shops. They also have a Ralph Lauren outlet store, which is why Polo apparel appears in the pictures as the week progresses. We walked around downtown after settling into our hotel, grabbed a Starbuck's, and then had a great Italian dinner at a small restaurant recommended by a store clerk.

Mesa Verde

Sunday was Easter. We feared Durango would be shut down, but much to our surprise most of the restaurants and tourist oriented businesses were open. We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out to Mesa Verde National Park. It is a long drive from the highway back into the park, about 24 miles on twisting mountain roads. There was a lot of snow in the park, but the roads were dry and there was little traffic. Once we were finally at the Park Museum, we watched the orientation video and then hiked to the Spruce House complex of ruins.

Park Museum/Visitor Center	Spruce House Complex
Two stories plus a basement	Decorative detail

The first impression from a distance is a large condo complex, but up close the spaces are very small. Village life was largely outdoors. The stones used to grind grains into flour are still in place, and the village plaza has been recreated complete with a Kiva, a round underground room that was by appearances used for ceremonial purposes. The villages are all built under overhangs that provide cooling shade in the summer, but they also face south and provide sun exposure in the winter and protection from cold north winds. The native peoples that occupied these villages were linked with other pre-puebloan tribes and engaged in active trade that spanned the entire western U.S. (seashells from the Pacific are among the artifacts found in these villages). They occupied the area for several hundred years, and the cliff dwellings were only built in the last 100 years the civilization was based in the area (approximately 1100-1200 AD). Prior to the cliff dwellings, the peoples of the area lived in dugout dwellings with raised roofs. There are literally hundreds of foundations of village complexes all over Mesa Verde.

Climbing into the Kiva	Kiva roof timbers	Ventilation and ladder
Exiting Kiva	On the plaza	Taking pictures

After getting up close to a complex at Spruce House, we drove the mesa rim road where many villages were visible from the numerous overlooks. Given the number and complexity of the structures, it is easy to understand that they appeared to be a "lost civilization" when they were discovered in the 1880s. In addition, with modern structures as a frame of reference, it is easy to imagine from a distance that the structures are much larger than they actually are. Far from being cities built in the cliffs, they are really just small villages for 50-80 people that were protected from the elements by their location in the natural alcoves that form in the sandstone cliffs all around the area. In all likelihood, many more people occupied villages in the area that were not built in the cliffs. The best available evidence at this time is that there was an extended drought that lasted about 24 years at the time the peoples living in the area moved away. Given the common building techniques and farming culture that evolved in the area around Mesa Verde, plus the strong evidence of active trade, it is highly likely the people who lived in the area migrated to the south and took up residence with the emerging puebloan cultures in New Mexico and Arizona.

Small village	Larger village with Kiva and cermonial plaza
Another small village	Bi-level complex with steps carved in cliff (a ladder was used to reach the steps)
Canyon with multiple villages	Temple complex above villages

We were a crew armed with lots of cameras, so lots of pictures were taken. Here are some of the group and individual shots with Mesa Verde in the background.

Spruce House	Foundation of dugout structure
Matt and Alexander in the crowd	Karen next to a spruce
Vili	Alexander

Durango Narrow Gauge Railroad

Day two featured a trip on the old Rio Grande narrow gauge that originally served much of Colorado. With power provided by a restored coal-burning steam engine, we followed the Animas River into the mountains to experience what was high-speed travel in the time of our great grandparents. We quickly discovered that 20 miles an hour is not a real thrill for teenagers who are used to freeways and jet airplanes, but the scenery was pretty and it was interesting to experience travel on a roadbed literally hacked by hand out of the side of the mountain. There was also a refreshment car that our crew visited at least every 15 minutes as long as they were opened (we were forced to survive the last 30 minutes of the trip without any drink refills, a hardship that made us greatly appreciate the challenges of traveling from Denver to San Francisco on the train in 1890).

Blowing sediment out of the boiler	Refillable beverages	Engine was surprisingly small
Turnaround at Cascade Canyon	Steam drive	Animas River Bridge
Pulling uphill	Wind in his face	600 feet above the river

Newspaper Rock

Newspaper Rock is one of the largest and most diverse petroglyph panels in Utah. It is impossible to know the dates and origins of all the carvings, but it clearly contains contributions from every people who passed by it, including Mexican immigrants in 1904. The Navajos titled it "rock that tells a story," which captures why it is so intriguing. It is located just a few miles off the main highway to Moab, so we grabbed sandwiches in Monticello and stopped here for a picnic on our drive to Moab on Tuesday.

State Park	Our wild men
Lots of animals, but other symbolic representations, too	Improvised picnic table

 

Needles Overlook, Canyonlands National Park

We discovered the Needles Overlook several years ago, and it is now a regular stop whenever we visit southern Utah. It is the highest point in Canyonlands and a spectacular vista. It also covers a large area, so there are lots of climbing opportunities, nooks and crannies to poke around in, and plenty of lizards to chase, activities that all appealed to the boys. It was on our way to Moab, so we took the time to make the stop on our way into town.

Needles District to the south	Islands in the Sky to the north	Canyon edge
Poking around in the rocks	Caves are always interesting	Shaded bench
Chasing a lizard	Climbing the biggest pile of rocks	Y M C A

Wilson Arch

Wilson Arch is right on the highway south of Moab, so it was also on our way into town. It demands climbing up into the opening for a picture, and our yard monkeys were more than glad to get out of the car for a few minutes. They spent some trying to figure out how to get on top of it, at which point we decided it was time to head into town and check into the hotel.

Great weather

How do we get on top of it?

Relaxing in the sun

Canyonlands National Park

Jack had a conference call board meeting that ran late Wednesday morning, so we got a later start than anticipated and decided to spend our first day in Moab in Canyonlands. Canyonlands has a number of remarkable view points and not as much hiking as Arches, so it is possible to visit in just a few hours. Our first stop was Grand Point, which is the most spectacular overlook in the park. In addition to the overlook, there is a mile trail along the canyon rim with lots of rocks to climb, which immediately attracted the boys' attention.

Canyonlands with White Rim	Rim Trail	It is a long way down
Karen likes to perch on the edge	Vili on the trail	Karen hiking the rim
Looking for adventure	Guaranteed to get Matt's attention	Rocks to climb
Karen on the rim trail	Shortcut to the parking lot	I have no idea

The White Rim, which is visible in several of the pictures, is a layer of hard sandstone that is much less susceptible to erosion than other layers, and as a result there is a wide rim on the canyon that is a popular place to mountain bike and to take Jeeps. We drove down into the Canyon a couple of years ago in our Jeep, and it is a spectacular ride and different perspective.

We stopped briefly at Mesa Arch after eating our lunch at Grand Point. It is about a half mile from the road to the arch. The hike helped us get our blood flowing again after eating in the howling wind at the Grand Point picnic area.

Mesa Arch rises out of the canyon cliff

Washer woman arch

Dead Horse Point State Park is just outside Canyonlands. This goose neck bluff is one of Utah's most photographed landscapes, and the park has lots of hiking along the canyon rim. The evaporation ponds at the potash mine are also visible from this overlook. They are a bright aqua blue and provide a wonderful contrast to the surrounding red rock. They add a surreal quality to the landscape. The boys found some crevices they could explore, and this is where they spent most of their time.

Potash Ponds	Alex	Vili
Matt	Exploring	Now let's hope we can get out
Vili makes like Spiderman	No petroglyphs in here	I'm just hoping the butter works to get me out

As the day wound down, we made one last stop at Gemini Bridges. This double bridge, which is an arch formed over a river by water below, is a little less than 6 miles off the highway on a dirt road. It is pretty decent as dirt roads in the wilderness go, but the main vehicles on the road were four-wheelers and dirt bikes. As we were getting near Gemini Bridges, we came up behind a guy on a mountain bike who heard us coming and gave a quick look over his shoulder. He did a double take and almost fell off his bike when he realized it was a soccer mom in a minivan that was about to over take him. I think it took all the macho out of his ride!

Soccer Mom goes offroad	Arch underneath the bridge
Echo down the canyon	Bridge across the canyon

Arches National Park

We got an early start Thursday so that we could make the hike to Delicate Arch in the morning cool (Arches National Park). This turned out to be a good idea, not the least because it was not very crowded when we hit the trail at 8:30. Delicate Arch is Utah's icon, and we had never made the mile and a half hike to the base of it. There is an overlook that is near it, but it is not really quite the same as standing at the base. On the hike, we discovered a couple of other arches in the area, and also had a chance to take a side hike on the slick rock. We also discovered that there is a deep eroded depression at the base of the arch, which surely has something to do with its shape and the fact that it has remained standing as erosion continues all around it.

Delicate Arch	The never seen backside	Depression at the base
Our crew	Steep drop off on the other side	It was worth the effort
Down the canyon	The trail back	Side trip across the slickrock
Hilltop view back	Petrified sand dunes	Slickrock valley

We swung by the Devil's Garden area before lunch with an intention to come back after lunch, but we ended having a flat tire that we needed to get fixed and we had dinner reservations at the Red Cliff Lodge to make, so we decided to return to the park Friday morning before heading home.

Devil's Canyon	Pine Tree Arch
Alex	Vili
Playing in the sand	Red Cliffs Lodge on the Colorado

Friday morning was very cold and windy. Not exactly great hiking weather, but we did go ahead and return to Arches to visit the Windows District, which is somewhat protected from the wind, at least until you climb up into one of the windows. Then you realize just how forceful the winds are and how they contributed to scuplting the surrounding rocks. The double arch, which is one of the most spectacular structures in the Park, is just across from the windows area trail, so we made a quick stop there for pictures. We ended our visit with a walk around balanced rock, and then headed home.

Turret Arch	South Window	Here comes the sun
Double Arch	Moon setting	Balanced Rock

Pictures

Everyone on the trip had a turn with the camera at some point. Most of the pictures -- and many more than are posted here -- are on one trip picture site: Durango-Moab trip site. Vili also took pictures with his camera and let Matt use the camera too. Some of the best pictures here were taken by them, but they also took a lot of "self portraits" and other zany photographs. These are all posted on a separate site: Vili's Durango-Moab pictures.