Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
May 18, 2015
I was kinda bummed to wave goodbye to the Lazy Lizard Hostel. I had a sense that other guests before me felt the same way. With the last remaining arm-load of gear, we turned in the keys to the front desk and piled in the car.
Carter's friend highly recommended a brunch stop at the Wake and Bake Cafe. I had huevos rancheros in a buckwheat crepe. Pretty decent, could have used more salsa.
Today's drive was long, we covered at least 300 miles. We planned for a long stop at Mesa Verde National Park which was on the way.
The park entrance was quite mysterious.
Slowly, we gained in altitude. At some points the road hugged an escarpment; where were we going? We saw the visitors center and things began to make sense. With requisite stickers purchased we headed down a short trail to see the Spruce Tree House.
Spruce Tree House looks like one hell of a place to throw a party.
For nearly two weeks we had been getting accustomed to stunning landscapes and gorgeous vistas throughout America's southwest. It was odd, to say the least, to find myself viewing a small collection of ruins. Dare I say I was bored?
The best part was seeing how those people set up their establishment. It looked quite secluded and safe; if I stumbled on that 1,000 years ago, I would have set up shop.
We still had a lot of ground to cover.
Mountains and clouds somewhere in Durango, Colorado.
After an unmemorable stop at Subway, we arrived at a Super 8 motel in Alamosa; a far departure from last night's homey accommodations. It had a roof and Carter's dad covered our stay, though. I have to remember to write him a thank-you card.
Finishing the whiskey was a bittersweet moment. However, pegging for a win is an unfair highlight of my entire trip.