Yesterday, I wrote about the first part of our journey to Southwest Colorado – today is the rest of the story.
A short drive west to Mesa Verde National Park brings you to another version of Colorado’s beautiful mountains, the mesa plateaus. You have to see them to believe the majesty of these gorgeous mountains. It’s like God’s dinner table, rising above the flat land that lies at its feet.
The drive up to the visitor’s center at Mesa Verde opens up to panoramic expanses of the lands to the north. You can see for miles and miles, back to the San Juan Mountains to the east and the Elk ranges to the north.
The park has several fantastic cliff dwellings of the ancient Puebloan peoples, sometimes known as the Anasazi. You can pay for guided tours through several dwellings, although be warned, the climbing and drop-offs may keep you away if you have health limitations or small children. I’ve done the climbing and touring with no kids and it was fine. Because our three-year-old was with us, we opted for the self-guided tour of Spruce Tree House, which is beautifully-preserved and still gives you a great idea of how these ancient peoples lived.
We then went to the Anasazi Heritage Center, near Cortez and Dolores. I have to admit, I thought since it was off the beaten path, it would be cheesy and a quick tour. I was very wrong. It was full of hand-on interpretive exhibits, virtual guided tours, tons of artifacts and up-to-date displays. There were a couple of traveling exhibits that were also quite interesting. Our young one was unhappy with going but once he got in there and got to smash corn like they used to do and look into microscopes at the artifacts, he was in. We had to use the lure of the pool back at the hotel to get him to leave!
Wolf at Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Another short drive to the east takes you to Pagosa Springs, another sweet little town full of fun shops and restaurants. We stopped at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park, a private facility just south of town. They have several wild animals such as coyotes, wolves, black bears, elk and mountain lions. Our son preferred the domestic kitties that were very friendly. They also offer feed for their miniature donkey, Dusty, and the goats and sheep. They also had a little flock of ducklings that were super cute to watch.
Our son sat on the porch and colored in their community coloring books while my husband and I wandered and watched the hummingbirds feed. It’s small but doesn’t cost much and it is neat to see the animals up close.
So, if you are looking to get away from the Disney life of long lines and crazy expenses, check out southwest Colorado for a wonderful time at a leisurely pace and with great fellow Americans.