The Journey Part II: The Far View Inn on the Mesa

After our visit to Arches, we headed down the highway to Mesa Verde, where we were able to reserve a room at the Far View Inn, 12 miles into the park. The road wound steadily upwards from the entry to the top of the mesa, and man oh man, what views! It seemed that we could see for hundreds of miles in every direction, and we were blessed with benign weather so it was comfortable to get out and walk around. We were astounded to see that the Far View Inn sat at the highest point on the mesa, so that all motel rooms had sweeping views of the surrounding desert. Below is a view of the motel units, which were built mid-century and merge with the mesa-top form pretty well, in my opinion.

We arrived just in time to visit the museum and get a look at the cliff dwellings that we would visit the next day. That evening we attended a lecture on the history of the dwellings and the Indian cultures of the area, and afterwards we had a most delicious dinner in the Inn restaurant. Our dinner included local specialties such as mole sauce, corn pudding, and prickley pear relish. Get thee to the Far View Inn! http://http://www.visitmesaverde.com/accommodations/far-view-lodge.aspx

My cat Zoom was anxious to see the views too. In the middle of the night I got up to get something out of the car and he escaped, running away from me as fast as his legs could take him, with his tail up and his loose belly fur swinging merrily side to side. I despaired of chasing him, and sat down on the stoop in front of our room. It was a beautiful night with a million stars gleaming. I would have been completely at peace except that I could also hear rustlings that suggested horned owls on the prowl. Occasionally I called "Zoom, Zoom!" and finally he did appear and I buried my nose in his fur with relief.

Cliff dwellings seen in the evening, and below, Ann offering you a bite of trout.