San Angelo, TX, Library
Despite problems on both my previous trip to Mesa Verde Natl Park in 2012 [see links below] as well as this year, I don't consider this park haunted. [These photos were taken on 6 Sep 2013.]
This is the most well-preserved cliff dwelling in the park: the Spruce Tree House.
Though the sandstone blocks were the principal building material held together by a dirt & water mortar, there were wooden reinforcements as one can see at the left side of The Spruce Tree House.
Almost all of the vertical lines in this shot are very regular. One can infer that they had an equivalent of twine to which they could tie a heavy rock to act as a plumb bob.
The black on the overhanging cliff was from two sources: 1)wood-smoke & 2)seeping water.
Not sure of the purpose of the protruding timbers just below the roofs, but that "architecture" is carried on today in many building in the Southwest.
This circular underground, sometimes with a roof, chamber was a community multi-purpose room.
Note in this closeup that many, if not most, of the openings are framed with wood.
The "roof" above the roofs; that is, the overhanging cliff.
As the Anasazi found that they could supplement things they gathered with crops they grew, they begain to build more permanent places to live. This plaque was on the site of a pithouse built in 575 AD. (The so-called "Classic Pueblo Period of the cliff-dwellers was from 1150 to 1300 AD.)
The Antechamber
Links:
- My 25 Mar 2012 post on Four Corners to Mesa Verde Natl Park
- National Park Service web pages on Mesa Verde National Park
- Wikipedia article on Mesa Verde Natl Park
- Outstanding TerraGalleria photos of Mesa Verde NP by QT Luong
Routes:
Th 24 Oct Actual Route: Brownwood W/M - Comanche Court House - Hamilton - Waco W/M
F 25 Oct Actual Route: Waco W/M - Marlin - Centerville - Madisonville - Huntsville W/M
Sa 26 Oct Actual Route: Huntsville W/M - Point Blank - Onalaska - Livingston W/M
Su 27 Oct Actual Route: Livingston W/M - Livingston Lib - Escapees HQ & RV Pk - Livingston W/M
M 28 Oct Actual Route: Livingston W/M - Escapees HQ & RV Pk - Polk County Tax Assessor - Livingston Lib - Onalaska - Huntsville W/M
T 29 Oct Actual Route: Huntsville W/M - Navasota - Brenham - Giddings W/M
W 30 Oct Actual Route: Giddings W/M - Giddings Lib - Elgin - Austin McDs - Austin Br Lib - Austin Shopping Ctr
Th 31 Oct Actual Route: Austin Shopping Ctr - Austin FedEx Office - Lampasas W/M - San Saba - Brady W/M
F 1 Nov Actual Route: Brady W/M - Brady Lib - Eden P.O. - Eden Lib - San Angelo VA Clinic - Sherwood Way W/M
Sa 2 Nov Route: Sherwood Way W/M - Freudiger RV Services - San Angelo Lib - Sherwood Way W/M
Finding Campgrounds:
- RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
- Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
- Free campsites website
- Info on finding BLM Campgrounds
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