Because we had done so much in Arches NP over the past two days, we decided to forgo the 7:00am entry this morning, have a leisurely breakfast, and head straight for Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument. Good call on all counts. I think everyone needed some extra rest, and the visit to Newspaper Rock was a genuine treat. The site is a sandstone slab with a black “desert varnish” coating which had been used to record petroglyphs for over 1300 years (until 1300) by indigenous peoples for purposes that are not entirely known. It’s a small but profoundly interesting and thought provoking site—a real hidden gem of the trip. Here are a few images, but check the Photo Archive page for more.

From Newspaper Rock, we proceeded on to Mesa Verde NP near Cortez, CO for an afternoon of exploration of museums and sites of the Pueblo people who lived there from around 750 AD until 1200 AD, when they left due to prolonged drought and some inter-tribal turbulence that had rendered life on the mesa too difficult. The site is an archaeological treasure trove of Pueblo culture, from pottery and artifacts to the dwellings left behind during the out-migration. Earlier Pueblans built pit houses and later evolved the stone and mortar villages built into recess in the cliffs of the mesa. They had no metal tools or beasts of burden but were able to create elaborate multistory living spaces, kivas, storage rooms, and other buildings necessary for their way of life. Tomorrow morning we will take a guided tour of the largest and most well-known Pueblan settlement, Cliff Palace. Until then, here are some images from the day.

A great Mexican dinner at Agave Azule in Cortez and back to the Retro Inn for the night. The internet access at Retro is fantastic, by the way…