Durango, CO & Mesa Verde National Park (June 28, 29, 2023)

​I visited close family friends that live in Durango, CO but they work all day, so I had to find something to do before meeting up with them around 4:30PM.  I took the 2-hour drive from Moab, UT to Mesa Verde National Park, arriving just as the visitor center opened.  Many of the National Parks have parking areas to leave trailers before entering the parks, mesa Verde NP was one of them.  Using the GuideAlong app I drove the Scenic drive and learned about the geology, Pueblo People, and the history.  About 550AD the Pueblo People (Anasazi) lived in the four corners region on the Mesa Verde lands for approximately 700 years.  The Pueblo people lived in cliff dwellings, and you could see how these dwellings changed over time.  Historians also speculate that water issues in the 1200’s had the Pueblo people abandoning the region and migrating south to become part of the Hopi and Navajo tribes.
I had a picnic lunch on the patio of the Sunset Point Café.  While packing up I ran into 2 of the 3 Des Moines, IA friends I met at Arches.  They were getting a very late start and just started exploring the park.  It was such a happy coincidence to see them. 
I headed to Durango downtown to meet up with my friend who I had not seen for close to 7 years.  We headed home and had a wonderful home cooked meal of salmon, hung out and talked and caught up on those 7 years. 
The next day was a lazy morning, then afternoon wandering around downtown Durango searching for gifts.  My friends showed me the Victorian house as we walked the downtown area before setting up to listen to the Thursday summer free concert in Buckley Park.  We went out to dinner then headed home to finish off the evening by watching the comedy of Michele Wolf.  Fun was had by all.