Day 3

The children finally got some rest overnight and all woke up fresh and in good moods. We turned the loose to play in the woods while we prepared sandwiches and snacks for lunch on the go. We warmed up the breakfast tacos and off we went. Todays destination was Mesa Verde National Park. These are the classic cliff dwellings that you see in the four corners area. This park lies about an hour West Of Durango. We stopped at the grocery store for some drinking water and there seems to be a problem with the water pump in the trailer and the water flow is pretty terrible in the trailer. I will have to troubleshoot that tomorrow. We arrived at the park and stopped at the visitors center. Visitors are required to set up a tour to visit some of the more classic ruins. We requested Junior Ranger books for the kids to work on during our visit. The books were quite appropriate for their age and kept them captivated. From the entrance one must drive another hour or so to the ruins. The ruins sit in a high desert area and it can get quite hot and dry. Those conditions, coupled with the altitude make for a draining day for the kids. We took the tour nonetheless. It was interesting but we spent much of our time corralling the kids. They are of that age where they want to touch everything. We ate lunch and made our way back down the mountain. The three oldest children were able to earn their ranger badges to add to their collection. On the way back, we stopped at a natural food store we enjoy and got several healthy snacks for the kids and some coconut water to help with hydration. Amy was having a bit of a tough time with the altitude yesterday but seems to be improving. We arrived back at the campsite and Harris and Grant prepared kindling for the camp fire with hatchets. They still appear to have all their fingers. We cooked a supper of corn beef and rice outside while the youngsters explored the woods and took pictures. After we ate, we sang campfire songs and told stories. Being the nostalgic sucker that I am, before the trip I purchased a Djembe drum to play around the fire. I told spooky stories to the children while Amy added beats and sound effects with the drum. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it. Today I really felt like I was able to decompress a bit and slow down. Durango seems to be an interesting and eclectic town with friendly people. Tomorrow we start our first real hike. Hopefully somewhat better acclimatized to the altitude. Trying to get the picture thing sorted out and will try to have pictures up tomorrow.