Day Three of our getaway started bright and early. We had tickets for the Long House cliff ruins tour, and that meant a long drive to the other mesa in the park. For this tour, you park your car and then ride a tram to the various trailheads. (I was hoping the tram was something more than a big open air bus, but that's exactly what it was. Oh, well.)
Here we are!
Thanks to the random tourist lady who snapped this picture for us.
Our tour guide for Long House wasn't as knowledgeable as our guide from the previous day. She had only been a ranger in Mesa Verde for three weeks. She did her best, and we just enjoyed exploring the ruins.
And taking pictures.
Four, sharp-toothed buzzards,
Sitting in a dead tree...
Most of the trees were burned skeletons from a series of fires that swept through the park in the early 2000s. The hike back up to the top was steep and HOT. A time or two, we got a little worried about the circling buzzards...
We were done with our tour by eleven-thirty, and although we could have stuck around and explored more, this was vacation! We headed back to Durango and relaxed instead. (Many more card games were played.) That night, we watched a movie on Michelle's big TV--the newest Disney movie "Tangled". Mema and LaDale hadn't seen it yet, and so it was pretty fun to watch them watching it.
The next day was our "do-nothing" day. We slept in (ah, bliss), explored around the pond and land, and played (still more) card games.
LaDale and Telima are contemplating pushing Mema off the side of the dock. I'm pretty sure it was only the fact that she was holding her (very expensive) camera that saved her.
Cheese!
That afternoon we explored a little of Durango, stopping at a store I've been wanting to investigate for years. It's called "Durango Silver Company", and the signs outside advertise turquoise. I've never stopped there because the general outside ambiance seemed to discourage small children.
(That turned out to be a wise choice on my part. Durango Silver Company is not a roadside rock shop. It's a jewelry store, and a high end one at that. The cheapest thing there was a pair of stud earrings for $35.)
But, oh! It was so fun to window shop, and chat with the owners. Mema found a gorgeous ring she really liked, and took a business card to look them up online sometime later. One of the owners took the time to find a piece of Morenci turquoise. (My gemology professor really liked the look of it, but didn't have any to show us.) There was one necklace, made of malachite beads and with the most unusual and gorgeous pendant, that I really loved. (It was $4500.) Of course, I haven't a thing to wear it with, at least until my next benefit ball with the governor...
That evening we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant that John and Michelle recommended (and gave us a gift certificate for! Thanks, you two!), and had a lovely, if slightly silly time.
The next morning (Sunday) we packed up, said our good-byes and fervent thank-yous to the Gillelands, and headed back to Northern Utah. Mema and LaDale were coming up to stay with Telima in her new house and hang out with all the grandkids, so Telima rode with Mema and I rode with LaDale. Telima was in a particular hurry to get home, because Sunday was her little girl Kay's fifth birthday, but I missed my family, too.
On the way, however, we stopped at Wilson's Arch, a beautiful, huge sandstone arch just off the road south of Moab.
The way up was short but steep.
Mema chose to stay at the bottom and take pictures of us girls.
It's hard to grasp just how big the arch is from the roadway. Once you get up under it, you start to see its expanse. And the view is pretty awesome as well.
LaDale picks her way across the slickrock under the arch.
Telima and a hobbit-sized LaDale. (Ah, perspective!)
Hiking in a skirt and sandals--I've come a long way from the jeans-and-sneakers-and-fanny-pack days.
And then we went home. We got quite the welcome from my kiddos when they dropped me off. Yum Yum wouldn't look directly at me for about twenty minutes, although she did give me the best snuggles. Maybe she just needed to punish me a little for leaving her.
Wow, I love that girlie.
Thank you, John and Michelle for hosting us and giving us such a great place to stay. Thank you, Bradley and Tyler and Tyler's parents for watching the myriad children. And thank you, Mema, LaDale, and Telima for taking this vacation with me. I had a MARVELOUS time. I can't wait to go on another getaway with you all--and this time with Jenafer, too!
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