Day 20: Mesa Verde and Ouray, Colorado
Hello, Mesa Verde! We visited Spruce Tree House, one of the Puebloan ruins built under a cliff overhang in Mesa Verde National Park. Evidently it takes a few days to properly tour the park, but we only had a few hours, so we set out for Denver.
We went down a ladder into one of their underground rooms.
Driving through the Rockies provided some spectacular views.
Nighttime speed limits–I love how the sign is on a black background.
Scary cliffs without guard rails.
Along the way, we passed by a small scenic point that overlooks Ouray, Colorado, known as the “Switzerland of America.” Ouray boasts a number of hot springs pools—without the smell of sulfur, thank goodness—but when we finally reached one, it was cold and windy, and the water didn’t feel much different from hot tub temperature. The water is piped down from local hot springs, cooling along the way to about 104 degrees, and contains an array of “healing minerals,” according to the pamphlet.
We explored the town for a while, picking up an array of truffles at Moose Chocolate, and then drove through the Rocky Mountains (reaching an elevation of 10,000 feet a few times) until we reached Denver at 1am.
Wow at those clouds. Just wow.
We also noticed a series of road names: D 1/4 Road, D 1/2 Road, and so on. I guess they ran out of name ideas.
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