Day 15: Cortez,CO to Montrose, CO.

Stops:

Mesa Verde NP

Ouray, CO.

Quick and useful tip: You are required to purchase tour tickets to see Balcony House and Cliff Palace. Tickets are $3 each per person. You don't need tickets for Spruce Tree House.  The best place to get tickets are at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez. There are no lines there.  

We arrived at the park entrance and start climbing in elevation until we reached the end of the road which went to the top of the Mesa. We arrived 30 min early from the start of our tour and happened to park right in front of the ranger for the tour about to leave. Ranger PT, which stood for Party Time in the summer and Part Time in the winter. Ranger PT is very good at convincing people. He convinced us to join his tour instead of the tour we signed up for.  We bought it, solely based on the vibe he was giving off. Ranger PT's tour was not like other ranger tours. He doesn't just spit out fun facts, he makes you answer questions, think about things, and let you draw your own conclusions. This is because not much is really known about the ancient Puebloans that lived there so one has too draw conclusions based on the small facts that they do know.  For example, the ancient Puebloans moved from the top of mesas to just under the cliffs. Why?  Is it for defense/protection, better gathering of energy producing materials, is it something else?

Cliff Palace is the largest dwelling in the park. While you and I have to climb ladders and steps, the original inhabitants got in and out of the cliff dwellings using footholds and handholds carved into the rock.  Starting with the right foot is important as if you start off wrong, you may need to go back and start over again. Most of the dwellings are circa 1200 AD.  

On our way out of the park, we stopped by two roadside attractions.  The first one was a place called Folk Art. The couple that lives here start off carving wood sculptures and signs with a chainsaw. When we arrived the husband was working on a moose sculpture with his chainsaw.

The next spot was just down the road at a trading post which had wooden tee pees and giant arrows.

We headed along Hwy 550, which had the most scenic and classic mountain drive you can imagine.  It was windy and went through passes, often following a small stream.  We finally reached the small town of Ouray where we stopped at the local brewery for dinner and drinks. We finally ended our night sleeping at Wal-Mart in Montrose, CO.