Okay, so the teepee in Cortez was awesome but a bit on the really cold side! We slept okay but woke up a lot to move toddler bodies and rearrange sleeping bags and blankets. Zach told us before bedtime, "This is so cool." We agree, but maybe more so when the temps are warmer.
We had a long day on the road but saw some really awesome stuff today! Just down the highway from Cortez is
Mesa Verde National Park. I remember visiting this park once when I was pretty young, and I was very excited for the chance to see it again today.
 |
| View from highest point in Mesa Verde, elevation 8572 feet! |
We decided to drive around the park and stop at overlook areas to view the cliff dwellings instead of taking the guided tours. Mesa Verde is an unbelievable place, and I'm in awe that these ancient dwellings are still here for us to see.
 |
| Spruce Tree House |
 |
| Square Tower House |
 |
| Cliff Palace |
Once we finished up our drive through Mesa, we got our driving day officially started. We clipped the southwest corner of Colorado heading east on US-160 to CO-140/NM-170, crossing into New Mexico, and continued on to NM-574 to US-550 S to I-25 S to I-40 E. It was a nearly cloudless day, and our driving conditions couldn't have been better.
An almost full moon greeted us on the horizon as we made our way to the New Mexico/Texas border, and here we are in Amarillo for the night before we tackle the very large state of Texas tomorrow!
