Usually, when you plan a vacation, you have a certain route picked out ahead of time. On this particular expedition, we are learning how to pivot and change plans at a moment’s notice. That’s what happened to us when we were deciding where to go after visiting Canyonlands and Arches. We were meant to head north-east and visit the Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Curecanti before turning at the Great Sand Dunes National park and heading back west. But three things changed our minds. The first was my parents. We had spent just 5 days with them while in Moab and it flew by. We were hoping for more time, and there seemed to be an opportunity to do this if we could change our plans. The second reason was realizing that Mesa Verde National Park had an end date of when they would finish tours for the winter season. My parents had just come from Mesa Verde, and though they hadn’t gone on a tour, it was big on our list to get up close and personal with the clifftop dwellings. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see these ancient communities up close. The third reason was the weather. It was already mid-October and we could see winter rolling in on the horizon with all its ice and snow ready to fall and cover the land. One of our goals on this trip was to chase the sun and to stay out of inclement weather. We didn’t want to drive the RV in snow or ice, and the car wasn’t set up for it either. Changing our route and heading down a more southern longitude to visit Mesa Verde right away and then rejoining my parents about a week later in Page, AZ, would address all three of these concerns so we decided to pivot and go for it.
The rush to get to Mesa Verde was to do the Cliff Palace tour. We fastidiously watched for reservations to open 2 weeks in advance and quickly booked in. You can only access the Cliff Palace (and several other historical sites at Mesa Verde) via Ranger Guided tours and reservations must be made online. Only so many people could book in at one time, and we only had one day to explore Mesa Verde and didn’t want to miss it.
“Built between 1190 and 1280 CE, Cliff Palace was once home to over 100 people. Today, it stands as a testament to the engineering and artistic achievements of the Ancestral Pueblo people”
https://www.recreation.gov
The first glimpse of the Cliff Palace is from an overlook that you step down to. There is a wide clearing with safety rails where everyone waits to begin the tour. Standing at the edge, you can see the remnants of what used to be a thriving community tucked into the overhang of a cliff. Thinking about how the Pueblo people descended to their homes makes my stomach turn, it’s a great location for wielding off intruders, but I wonder how many accidents occurred back then. Were their children as daring and reckless as mine, fearlessly climbing new heights and running wildly without any idea how close they were to the edge? At 10 years old, my son still has little idea of where he is in space, and though he is an agile climber, he’s also covered in bruises from slips and falls. On the way in, Cole and I exchange looks and indicate which children we are going to watch. It’s easier to keep an eye on two than four, and splitting the pack means we can have a hand on each kid. For a further measure of safety, I throw Julian into the carrier for the climbs both down to, and up from, Cliff Palace.
Before we begin the tour, we are greeted by a Ranger who tells us how significant this place is. She reveals that she is of Hopi descent and can trace her Puebloan ancestors back to this very place. The Ranger tells us that she does her morning traditions here, coming early to the site before she starts work to pray and talk with her ancestors, receiving guidance and encouragement through her connection to this special place. She asks us to be kind and respectful, reminding everyone not to touch the stones that remain and form the 150 rooms, 23 kivas, walls, and pathways through the palace. The very oils on our fingertips can leave damaging impressions on the historic buildings.
“Even though we physically moved away, the spirits of my ancestors are still here. If you stop for a minute and listen, you can hear the children laughing and the women talking. You can hear the dogs barking and the turkeys gobbling. You can hear and feel the beat of the drums and the singing. You can smell the cooking fires. You can feel their presence, their warmth, their sense of community” – TJ Atsye, Laguna Pueblo
NPS
https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cliff_palace.htm
We are all a little changed after hearing her testimony and plea. We joined the tour knowing this place belonged to an ancient people group, who moved out and dispersed around 1300 BC. But now we have met this beautiful, living connection to this ancestral site. She belongs here. We are visiting her spiritual space and we must do so with reverence.
It’s so important for the boys to learn that these ancient spaces, the ruins, and the very parks themselves are foremost Indigenous lands. They were special to First Peoples before we even knew of their existence, and our role now is one of recognition, appreciation, and respect. It’s hard to know if we are successful in getting the message across. How can we teach our children to be allies, stewards, and advocates? What could it mean for Generation Alpha, if we can teach them these important concepts to be common knowledge as children, for the future? For us, it starts with moments like these. Experience and exposure are part of it, but practicing listening to Indigenous leaders, hearing their stories, reading their literature, and respecting their sacred places are actions we can apply; and if my children can do this at 5, 8, 10 and 12 years old, we are setting a precedent that they can continue for the rest of their lives.
It’s a short climb / walk down and along the cliffside to get to the Palace. Once there, three rangers set up at different stations tell us facts about the dwellings. The rangers are engaging with interesting information, and take time to answer questions from the tourists. We learn what a Kiva is, and that around 100 people used to inhabit the site, which was regularly used for ceremonial purposes. We ponder why the Pueblo people left this place, as all the historians have are theories. Why build such a large community and walk away? Did the seep springs dry up, was there a lack of food in the desert, did news come from travelers that created a nomadic urge? It’s hard to think about a whole community abandoning their home and I wonder if it was unanimous or if some remained behind, unable to leave their cliffside dwelling.
Once the tour was finished, there were four ladders to climb up out of the clifftop dwellings, ascending 100 feet (30 m) back up to the mesa. The older boys manage this easily, but I put Julian back in the carrier and climbed up with him on my back. It was hot, sticky work, and we picked a patch of shade in the picnic area to have our lunch before exploring the park further.
We decided to do one more short hike that day, the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail. It was just 1.2 miles (2km) that looped past the Balcony house, and other clifftop dwellings, viewed across the canyon. It was the perfect length for an easy walk, and the boys spent the time walking through the Juniper and Pinyon Pine tree forest telling ‘Choose your own Adventure” stories which was a new game they made up where one (usually an older) brother tells a story with multiple choice moments and the participating brother has to choose what to do next. These stories are varied and complex and usually involve danger, hot dogs, magic potions, and portals to other realms. I find them incredibly fascinating to listen to, but quite long and tedious to be involved in! The participant often dies in the story and is resurrected by having extra lives, mysteriously obtained by objects they may have stored for their character earlier. This new game development has resulted in an explosion of new vocabulary usage and encourages reluctant walkers to continue on a hike, if only to find out what happens to their character! I’m definitely a fan.
We were dismayed to find out that the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum and some of the other trails were closed. There was a lot of road work going on in the park as well as some restoration in certain areas. We drove around to a few more lookouts but felt like our spirits were full with the experience we had already so called it a day.
On the drive back to the RV, my mind wanders and I think about my Grandmother, and how I used to lean into her warmth and wisdom. I miss her immensely, a mental anguish and physical ache I just can’t shake even though it’s been months since her passing. Hearing the Hopi Ranger talk about how she communes and listens to her ancestors through rituals and traditions brings me some comfort. Perhaps we do not have to believe that the firmament between the living and the dead is an impassable chasm, removing us from all the love we once knew. I close my eyes and bring to mind landmarks and places that are sacred to me, that have memory embedded in their soil, their walls, and their waters. I know there is a consciousness in these personal spaces if I can be attuned enough to listen, and I am grateful for the Ranger’s example and reminder.
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