Colorado 2014: Day Four

Saturday was our last morning with Candice and Andy. They were packing up to head back to Houston while we were heading west to spend a couple days at Mesa Verde National Park. We helped them clean up as much as we could and then we were off on a couple of adventures of our own.

The Continental Divide was on our list of places to visit, and it is only about 15-20 minutes from Pagosa Springs. The brass line in the picture below shows the divide; the waters on the east side (where Gene and Henry are) flow to the Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico) while the water on the west side (where Will and I are) flow to the Pacific Ocean. As you can see, the elevation here at Wolf Creek Pass was more than 10,000 feet.

While we were there, we learned that the Continental Divide Trail runs 3102 miles between Canada and Mexico.  

We decided to hike a tiny portion of the trail. 

On the way back down to Pagosa Springs, we stopped at the West Fork Valley Overlook.

By the time we arrived back in downtown Pagosa Springs, it was time for lunch. We love beer, so we chose Riff Raff Brewing Company in downtown Pagosa.

Gene and I shared a flight and came away with a growler of their kolsch to enjoy later.

Our afternoon adventure took us to Chimney Rock National Monument.

Chimney Rock sits on a high mesa in the San Juan Mountains and was home to the Ancestral Puebloans more than 1000 years ago. There are over 200 homes and buildings on the mesa, including this pithouse. Pithouses were usually dug into the ground, but this area sits on bedrock, so it is mostly above ground. A flat roof would have been constructed of interwoven sticks supported by poles and covered with a layer of mud.

This Great Kiva was the first of many that we saw over the next few days. Kivas were gathering places for the Ancestral Puebloans, and would have been used for ceremonial, religious and social meetings.

The Ancestral Puebloans were sky watchers, and used the twin peaks of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock to build an impressive calendar. They were able to track astronomical events and they used what they learned about the cycles of the sun and moon to monitor weather patterns, which in turn helped them determine optimal times for planting and harvesting. The astronomical events would also have influenced religious rituals and ceremonies. Chimney Rock is a beautiful place.

After visiting Chimney Rock, we traveled west of Durango to the little town of Mancos, which would be our home-base for the next few days. We arrived at our rental house at dinner time and whipped up a quick meal.

Sitting on the porch and watching the sun set over the mountains was the perfect way to end the day.