Desert Dwelling

Mesa Verde is tucked away high up into tall cliffs near the top of a mesa in Colorado.

Dwellings of several stories fill the rock alcoves that tower 2,000 feet above Montezuma Valley.  There are approximately 600 dwellings discovered within Mesa Verde dating from about A.D. 550 to 1300.  The Ancestral Pueblo people crafted their dwellings of sandstone, wooden beams, and mortar.

The structures range in size from one-room storage units to villages of more than 150 rooms. 

The Ancestral Pueblo people subsisted by growing crops on nearby mesas, mostly corn.  Water for farming was provided by summer rains, winter snowfall, and seeps and springs nearby.  The men hunted as well. The women are famous for their beautiful baskets.

All photos here are of Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde.  To visit here, we had to have a guided tour.  

This dwelling was constructed in the early to mid 1200s.  There are about 130 rooms and 8 kivas.  It is believed to have been home for about 60 to 80 people. 
This photo and the one below were taken at a distance.

Yes, we did climb up this ladder!  Here is our intrepid guide Denise.

view from across the canyon  (See the ladder?  just below the dwellings on the right)


Mesa Verde (means Green Table) is located in the high plateau country of southwestern Colorado. The park itself lies atop a high mesa that rises from the canyon cut by the Mancos River.

a few facts:

∎ The park was created in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
∎ Mesa Verde National Park encompasses 52,122 acres (81 square miles).  
∎ Elevation on Mesa Verde varies between 6,000 and 8,500 feet.
∎ Mesa Verde is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This link will take you to a world wide list.
∎ The climate is semi-arid. 
∎ Spruce Tree House was built into a natural alcove measuring 216 feet (66 meters) at its greatest width and 89 feet (27 meters) at its greatest depth.


LINKS:
∎ National Park website 
∎ National Geographic 
∎ National Park information about Spruce Tree House
∎ Maps of Mesa Verde @ Desert USA
∎ travelog- a family visits Mesa Verde @ Abingdon Outdoors
∎ maps and information about North American deserts @ Desert USA with links

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "D." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 

 

photos by me © 2007   all rights reserved

Desert Scenes: Fish Creek Canyon

exploring Fish Creek Canyon near Phoenix, Arizona...

sky growls overhead

rocky road winds on and on

adventure awaits

Fish Creek

red rock so dotted
with spiny sage green prickles
kiss speckled blue sky

jaunty white petals

with cheery yellow centers

swaying breezily

I'm so happy Ms Jenny has decided to do another round of Alphabe-Thursday! This is such a fun meme!  Thank you, Ms Jenny!  Come and join in the fun!  You will be charmed and even enlightened in a delightful way!  See more entries HERE. This week our letter is "D." 

photos by me © 2009
haiku by me © 2011
 

Desert Delights

In which we explore several disparate but decidedly delightful desert displays.   Come!  Let the dreamy dance of the desert muse begin!

Sonoran desert

decorated by prickles

conserves its beauty

desert dwelling birds

fly high into prickles

create domiciles

ancient rock towers

above the verdant valley

to glorious sky

photo #1 & #2 Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona   LINK

photo #3  Zion National Park, Utah   LINK

This is a fun weekly meme, under the direction of Jenny Matlock.  This week, our letter is "D."  Come and join HERE.  Here is Ms. Matlock's submission.

If you click this link, you will discover so many creative takes on this letter.  There are about 85 as of this writing.  Now go visit! 

This post is also for SkyWatch Friday hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.  Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe. 

photos by me © 2009 & 2010
haiku by me © 2010

Hurricane sunset: SkyWatch Friday

soft colors:  sunset in the desert of Hurricane, Utah

This post is for SkyWatch Friday hosted by Wren, fishing guy, Sylvia, Klaus, and Sandy.  Come join us in this awesome meme, link up, and meet folks from all over the globe.

history of the name "Hurricane:" (pronounced “Her-ah-kun,”)  This strange name dates back to the early 1860s, when a whirlwind blew off the top of a buggy carrying a group of surveyors led by Mormon leader Erastus Snow. “Well, that was a Hurricane,” exclaimed Snow. “We’ll name this the Hurricane Hill.”  The original residents, the Paiute Indians, called the area Timpoweap, meaning “Rock Canyon.”  Hurricane, Utah is near St George, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Cedar Breaks, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

LINK

photo by me © 2010

Spring

Spring is an experience of immortality. I love Spring. The earth bursts into song, going from seeming dispair to riotous joy. 
 ... an April hike in the North Carolina mountains near Asheville in 2006....Four of us spent many serene moments watching a stream of ants laboring to carry a few huge crumbs through their secret tunnel to their underground nest.

 ... a display at the 2008 Cincinnati Flower Show...The Cincinnati Flower Show is awesome! It is probably the largest flower show in North America, and the only North American show endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. Better Homes and Gardens honored it as the "King of all flower shows." One's spirit is renewed while walking among the many acres of flowers, a feast for the senses. Oh the colors, the smells! Glorious Spring has arrived!

This year will be the 20th anniversary of the show.

http://http://www.cincyflowershow.com/

A young boy holds a butterfly at Krohn Conservatory during the annual Butterfly Show.

Eden Park's Krohn Conservatory is a nationally recognized showcase of more than 3,500 plant species from all over the world. The palm, tropical, desert and orchid houses exhibit permanent displays of exotic plants in natural settings, complete with a 20 foot rainforest waterfall. It is a garden paradise under glass.

LINKS:

http://http://www.cincinnatiparks.com/krohn-conservatory/index.shtml

http://http://www.butterflyshow.com/

This one's for the etsy blogger's street team's blog carnival.http://http://etsybloggers.com/

photos taken by me © 2006-2008  all rights reserved