We went into Mesa Verde early yesterday to a "meet and greet" for the new deputy supt. and his wife, who are transferring in from Sandy Hook, NJ. After the social event, we did the Cliff Palace loop, with intent to go out on the Soda Point trail and see what Balcony House looked like from there. I'm sure I walked the trail when I was a seasonal ranger in 1966, but didn't remember it and haven't done it since.
On the way there, we stopped at some of the overlooks into Cliff Canyon that we haven't been to lately and were pleasantly surprised at the possibilities there. The panorama of Fewkes and Cliff Canyons coming together would look better in summer sun and green, but yesterday was an overcast winter day.
The hike out to the Soda Canyon Overlook is just over a mile round trip, a good distance for us. And the view of Balcony House is a good one. In the picture posted, one can see the route visitors travel on the ranger-guided tours, entering by climbing the 30-foot ladder at the lower right, climbing the short ladder in the righthand courtyard to get into the second courtyard and then exiting by crawling through a tunnel constructed between that huge slab of rock and the cliff it's resting against. It's almost a relief after all that to climb the steps and ladders on the side of the cliff to get back to the parking lot!
On the way out, still overcast, we had a rare view of the La Sals, with sun spotlighting them, almost 100 miles northwest of Mesa Verde, east of Moab, Utah.
And then the day closed with a bang ... possibly the reddest sunset I've ever seen from here! What a spectacle, spread over the whole western sky!
In between, I learned that my lower back pain is probably caused by arthritis, so learn to live with it. Staying active and exercising while not abusing the back seems to be the answer. I can do that; life could be worse, lots worse. tv
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