This morning we drove West to Mesa Verde National Park, which preserves over 600 thirteenth-century Anasazi cliff dwellings.  Our first stop was the visitor center:

Next, we dropped off the RV and drove into the park to visit the museum at the South end, which was very well done:

The kids completed their Junior Ranger program:

Next, we hiked down to Spruce Tree House, the best preserved cliff dwelling in the park:

Inside a kiva:

Next we visited a tenth-century pit house.  The house was dug down about a foot into the ground, then walls and a roof were built over the pit:

Square Tower House is the tallest ruin in the park:

An excavated kiva and tower are all that remain of this surface village:

In the distance, we could see Cliff House and a number of other cliff dwellings:

The cliff dwellings are built into canyons that splay out like fingers from the southern end of the mesa:

Pretty good camouflage:

From Mesa Verde, we drove West and South, passing several Monument Valley-esque structures:

Tonight we’re overnighting at the Walmart of Gallup, New Mexico.  See the trip map for driving details.