Mesa Verde

We woke early and enjoyed our free breakfast. It had snowed overnight, and it was exciting to see the cars in the parking lot dusted in white.

Setting off west from Durango, we climbed steadily through beautiful snow covered scenery. It started snowing heavily, with darkened skies above. 

We arrived at Mesa Verde before 9am, a little concerned that the snow would hamper our visit, but the rangers at the Visitor Centre expressed no concern. From there it was a forty minute drive to the top of the Mesa, with no view available at all. 

At the top, the snow clouds lifted and the sun shone, melting the snow from the branches in fat drops. It was still very cold, but we enjoyed a quiet viewing of the Spruce Tree House, one of the sites that could be seen without a guide. These sites are even more fabulous than those at Bandelier - more intact, more advanced. 

There was a driving loop that provided easy access to several of the archeological sites. We enjoyed seeing how the Ancestral Puebloans lived, and how they developed their living spaces over time. 

The drive back down the mountain was clear of cloud, revealing the incredible views from the Mesa that we'd been oblivious to on the way up. As far as we could see, the country was blanketed in snow, with huge mountains rising all about us. It was a fantastic experience.