It was a beautiful morning in Durango with clear blue skies and the sun shining bright. It was the perfect day to explore Mesa Verde National Park! On the drive up to Mesa Verde the group serenaded us with several songs from artists like Sean Kingston and Katy Perry and even a few Christmas songs like Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You."
Mesa Verde means "green table" in Spanish and refers to the flat topped mountains near the Four Corners region. A group of people known as the Ancestral Pueblo people lived there from about 550 AD the late 1200s. They built impressive villages under the overhanging cliffs out of sandstone and mud. The largest cliff dwelling, Cliff Palace, had 151 rooms and some 90-110 people lived there! The Ancestral Pueblo people spent most of their time growing food like corn, squash and beans and hunting rabbits and deer.
Our tour guide Mike took us to see the Spruce Tree House, the park's museum, Cliff Palace and a Pit house. It's amazing how an area with such dry conditions held a population of 3500-5000 at its peak!
Once we were back in Durango, everyone got the opportunity to do some laundry. All of the parents should be proud!
Tonight we attended the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper Show and had an awesome time! Someone even said it was the highlight of their trip so far! The Bar D has been running for 49 years and the Grand Western Tour has been attending every year since. We even got a special shoutout during the show! The group enjoyed a delicious meal of barbecue chicken or beef, baked potato, beans, a roll, spice cake, apple sauce, and the best lemonade you've ever had in your life. The show was very entertaining and the band played classics like "Matt Palmer's Misfit Farm" and "The Opossum Song". Nothing makes you feel like you're in a Western town like some good old country music from legends like the Bar D Wrangler's.
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