One of the reasons we went on our trip during the first part of October was to see the phenomenal color the aspens display in the fall. We checked out the projected color peak and found it would coincide with the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and our plans were off and running.
Except for the wet start, our Balloon Fiesta was all we had hoped for. With a couple of minor setbacks, we had ventured on through Laguna, Hubble Trading Post and landed in the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. There the trees were protected and still mostly green, though every now and then the stark contrast of a tamarisk or early cottonwood against the heavy green foliage would take our breath and set our mouths talking about the aspens to come.
The others in the group wanted color – aspens particularly. I wanted mountains and I knew aspens and mountains are both abundant in southern Colorado. Cortez, Colorado was our first real color. We stopped for an hour or so at a rock shop/mineral dealer just north of town. Most of us were enthusiastic about the place. I bought 8 small beautiful thin rocks for the waterfall I’m building in my sunroom. Louis found several rocks he wanted including a couple of nice chunks of petrified wood. Next Stop, Mesa Verde.
On the way into Mesa Verde, we stopped to pay the car fee and found that if we had one elderly person with a parks pass in each car, we’d get in free. The cost per car was $10. The cost for a golden age parks pass was $10. The guy was trying to help us out here. So we did a little senior Chinese fire drill, paid for the passes and that was that. Our plan included Chaco Culture and it would save us $30. And, the only disadvantage was that we had to have a “Token Old Lady” in each vehicle.
We didn’t really go to look that evening, but were heading to the Far View Lodge and Restaurant for a classy supper. We didn’t look like a classy group. The matre’d and the waiters were not impressed. I had brought along a very nice outfit, but alas it was packed away, as was everyone else’s. So, there we stood: not only looking like straggling hikers, but demanding the best seats in the house. Somehow, Louis and I ended up sitting alone.
To begin, our waitress was completely rude. Not only were we ill dressed for such a place and in the prime seating, but we were stating that we weren’t really that hungry. She handed us a wine list; we ordered coffee and water with lemon. She handed us an appetizer list; we ordered a soup and salad and told her we would have no entrée.
Yet somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd cup of coffee, she decided to be nice in hopes that we’d make up for the lack of order with a hefty tip. She turned out to be an awesome waitress and a likeable person. The food was delicious. We ordered desert. Our tab was $40. and included a drafty window with a wide view of a barren hillside and beyond. Mesa Verde was part of the huge wildfire that engulfed southern Colorado a few years back: no color here. We tipped her well.
After supper, we drove into Durango for the night. A freebie breakfast and computer access made up for the cramped rooms on the second floor and the lack of parking. Housing seven women and all their stuff is a lot to ask of even a large room at the Days Inn. It was only for one night. I’d get an extra room next time, I decided. Since my digital camera had stopped working and I didn’t bring a film camera, I decided to go to WalMart and see if I could find something to get me by for the rest of the trip. We found a little no frills digi with a flash and internal only memory. It didn’t cost much so I got it. Book in hand, I sat a little while in the van with the new acquisition and my husband’s lap top. By the time I wandered back to the little room on the second floor, I was accepting the challenge of making the camera purchase a ‘good thing’.
The next day, the park was only slightly warmer than it had been the night before. We saw some wonderful vistas on the way up that included mountains totally white from an overnight snowfall. Three vehicles with travelers from Arkansas, ill prepared for the weather, stopped and took group pictures at the entrance sign where we reapportioned our “Token Old Ladies” and drove into the park. There was of course no color, not even much green on the mountain itself, though there were isolated spots that the fire missed and small signs that nature was healing itself could be seen if you looked closely.
We didn’t do much walking, though we did stop at a couple of close at hand overlooks and got a few pictures of the ruins. We ate lunch together at a small café by the visitors center on the main loop. A few of our number hiked down the only self-guided ruins trail open this time of year while others shopped and visited the museum. I sent Louis off and stayed with the “Token Old Ladies.” The museum was hosting a native American art exhibit which I thoroughly enjoyed and I bought some nice rocks and a jigsaw puzzle picturing one of the popular ruins.
I also watched a Navaho couple decorating pottery. My only disappointment was that the pottery was poured not hand built. But the process was intriguing and gave me some inspiration for future works.
I tried taking a few pictures with my little camera, but found curiously that I could not control what was in focus. “Oh, well, it was cheap!” Only after we returned home did my husband play with it and discover some of the really cool aspects of it. He discovered that it had no internal stabilizer and that was why the focus was so off. Add a tripod, attach it to the computer, and we’ve got a nifty little thing that takes great stills or endless video.
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