My favorite color is October!

3 Oct, 2017; Mesa Verde NP, Cortez, Colorado


Driving through the Manti-LaSal National Forest is Glorious


Leaving the desert area around Needles, I passed by Newspaper Rock,  a Utah State Historical monument.  The Navajo call it "Tse' Hone" which means 'Rock that tells a story'.  The earliest carvings were created 2,000 years ago.  There are over 650 documented petro-glyphs and were carved by Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, and Puebloan people.  





Its a very accessible spot - just a short walk from a large parking lot.







The fall colors were a blaze of color as I drove through the mountains.  Not many pull-overs; but I only saw a half-dozen cars in over 100 miles, so stopping briefly on the road wasn't a problem.






Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez Colorado


I arrived pretty early in the day hoping to get a campsite within the park - in Utah, all the parks were at capacity most of the time.  To my surprise, Mesa Verde has a huge infrastructure - lodges, cafes, gas, laundry, and a very big campground with about 400 sites.  

statue outside the Visitor Center, showing native climbing the rock face to a cliff dwelling.



The hills around the campground are blazing yellow thru orange to deep reds

a touch of white amid all the bright fall colors


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