Five National Parks in Five Days (Day Two)

I was up three hours before the Mesa Verde National Park‘s visitor center was scheduled to open, so I watched the sun rise and awaken the park. The center had only been open a few minutes when I arrived, but the ranger on desk duty was already busy speaking with other visitors. He confirmed for me that, as had been indicated on the website’s map, there was extensive scenic roadways in the park. After looking at the center’s exhibits about the Pueblo Native Americans who had inhabited the region, I readied myself for the day of driving in the park.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, it is a great idea to enter national parks with a full tank of gas because, even if the park does offer gas for sale, the prices tend to be considerably higher. Since I had stocked before entering the park, I was ready for the day.

Also, I had added a new app to my phone called Shaka Guide that offered GPS audio tours of various locations, one of which was Mesa Verde. I had previously tried a different app and was less than thrilled with its GPS tracking or its ability to work with my car’s GPS in providing directions to the next stop. The Shaka Guide was far more able to accurately begin the audio based on the location where I was at the moment. It truly enhanced the tour for me with the depth of historical information about the people and sites in the park. I’m looking forward to using it again when I visit other locations they offer.

One of the many things mentioned in the narration was that devastating fires in 2000 still left large sections of the park burnt. None of the archeological structures (the cave dwellings) were damaged. Indeed, new artifacts have been uncovered, and there are signs of new growth in the area where trees had been destroyed.

Unfortunately, a number of sites required climbing or longer walks to view points for me to reach. I still got, I felt, quite a bit out of the park. And I got lots of pictures, a few of which I have posted below:

The rest are available at https://singin1.pics/piwigo/index.php?/category/5Parks-in-5-Days-Day-2-Mesa-Verde-052025. The map that accompanies the pictures can provide specific location information.

The ranger I spoke with early in the morning suggested that I take time to absorb the spiritual quality of the park as well as its history. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so. Indeed, I was deeply touched by all I saw throughout the trip. The picture to the left of the Rockies reflected off what looked like a pristine lake was one of several moments when I was compelled to pull over and take the scene in or just get a quick photo if the circumstance didn’t allow me to do more.

Thus ended Day Two.

As always, I thank the Lord for granting me the stamina to make the trip, the damn good reflexes to steer the Silver Bullet (SB) as she needed to be guided, and the ability to enjoy His handiwork as it whizzes by my windshield.

Tuesday was a truly beautiful day weather-wise, especially considering the snow the day before. My next stop was only three hours away, but I would again be crossing over mountainous territory. But without the snow, I was looking forward to the drive.