Hi everyone! I’m writing from the Durango Colorado Public Library. I’m grateful for libraries and their free internet access! Today I’m enroute from Mesa Verde National Park in SW Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ve just finished a 1 1/2 day visit to Mesa Verde after 39 years. It appears differently than when I was 11, but don’t most things as time goes along??
Mesa Verde was fascinating. The Anasazi Indians built cliff dwellings, kivas, and pithouses between A.D. 550 and A.D. 1270. There were actually more people occupying this area of Colorado than reside today. The cliff dwellings were accessed from the mesa top over outcrops. Then in the alcoves below, the Indians built structures for living, storing crops, religious ceremonies (kivas), etc. They typically farmed maize, beans, and other crops on the mesa top above.
On the way to Mesa Verde I stopped at Great Sand Dunes National Park only briefly. A severe thunderstorm began brewing about 15 miles from there so by the time I arrived, the storm was in full swing. Still I managed to get some photos to appreciate their grandeur.
On July 5, Steve went from Evans to Fort Morgan, Colorado. He was on the bike for 60.9 miles. He stayed at a Super 8 next to the Dairy Queen. The DQ is one of our favorite stops when we drive from home to Denver. And, since Steve had two gift certificates to DQ, he took advantage of it. Also, he was joined by Dave, Stacey, and Zachary, his cousin and his family, as they were enroute from Wakefield, Nebraska to their home in the Denver area. Very cool that he was able to visit with them!!!
Yesterday, Steve went from Ft. Morgan all the way up to Sidney, Nebraska, where again he stayed in a motel. The wind was from the south for most of the day, which was definitely a morale booster. It did turn easterly as he neared Sidney, but he said it did not play a factor in his riding. The weather was beautiful. While it was 90 degrees, the humidity isn’t a factor at this point…thank goodness! He’s taking advantage of the motels while he has access to them as camping may begin again soon. The Ft. Morgan-Sidney route was 91.7 miles. Today he’s toying with the notion of going from Sidney all the way north to highway 20, which would be 120 miles, but we’ll find out later what he decided to do.–Til later….Diane