Mesa Verde National Park - July 4, 2002

With a large part of the park closed, my choices on what to do today were limited. Luckily, I was able to do, go to, and see everything that was open.

NOTE: Due to the potential for a very serious fire at the park, the National Park Service (NPS) closed most of Mesa Verde National Park. Wetherill Mesa was open (which is where Long House, Kodak House, and Step House are located) because there had been several fires there in the past several years and there is, basically, nothing there to burn. Chapin Mesa, probably the most popular part of the park, was closed except for Spruce Tree House. Anyone who wanted to visit Spruce Tree House had to take a shuttle and stay with the ranger - no wandering off on your own. The NPS was clearing some of the underbrush and trees off of Chapin Mesa to lessen the danger of a fire. However, it doesn't appeared to have worked. In late July, due to a lightening storm, Chapin Mesa and parts of Long Mesa did catch on fire and the entire park was evacuated. Spruce Tree House was threatened - the fire actually went over the cliff at the top - and some infrastructure-type buildings were destroyed. Last I heard, the park was reopened about 2 weeks after the fire.

First, I went to Wetherill Mesa. I did and saw everything there was out there to do and see. Wetherill Mesa is where Long House is located, so I did the tour, climbed around on some things. I also saw Kodak House, Badger House, and Step House. The latter was quite a walk.

Then I went to Spruce Tree House. This attraction is in the part of the Park which is closed. To get there, you are shuttled in on a school bus with everyone else who bought tickets at the same time as you. Then a ranger takes you down there. You are not allowed to go anywhere else.

Two things about Spruce Tree House. First, about 95% of what you see is original building. Second, how it got its name. The re-discoverers (because it wasn't ever really lost) found it and, to get down to it, climbed down a massive douglas fir tree. However, they didn't know what kind of tree it was. They named the sites after some identifying characteristic, so it became Spruce Tree House because they thought the climbed down a spruce tree.

NOTE: I call the people who found and named it "re-discoverers". This is because the local Indian population knew that these sites/houses/ruins existed and where they were. They just didn't tell anyone. The "re-discoverers" were non-Indian, ie white.

My activities did cause me to get a sunburn - on the outer, upper part of my calves of all places. About the only place I did not use sunscreen.

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