La Veta, Colorado

La Veta, the vein, served as a vital lifeline a century ago; the town was originally a busy trading center, supplying the nearby area with goods.  Today it is a lovely small town with friendly people and a great place to stop when visiting southern Colorado.

La Veta is surrounded by the Great Dikes.  These volcanic formations are made from granite and radiate out from West Spanish Peaks.  They are about four miles long, one hundred feet high, and vary from 20-30 feet thick.  These Dikes are known as the Devil's Stairstep or Stairway to Heaven.

A must do near La Veta is to take a drive south on Highway 12, a Colorado Scenic Byway called the Highway of Legends.  As you drive this two-lane road, you will pass from small towns to ranches (with free range cattle - watch for them on the road) forests to valleys and beautiful lakes and rock formations.  We saw many bird species attracted to the area by streams and lakes and even saw a black bear, what a nice surprise.

We drove up to Cuchara Pass on the shoulder of the Spanish Peaks and were treated to a fantastic view.   It is a great way to spend some time seeing another side to Colorado.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

A visit to the Great Sand Dunes is quite an experience.  This park is home to the tallest dunes in North America, rising up to 750 feet from the base.  The sand covers about 30 square miles nestled at the bottom of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range.

One of the unique activities offered in the park is sand boarding or sand sledding on the dunes.  Keep in mind that in the summer months it is very hot and that it takes approximately an hour to climb up the dune for the ride, make sure to dress properly.



Medano creek, which runs along the southern edge of the dunes, can provide a welcome place to splash and cool off.  Check with the website to get flow readings,  in the hot months this creek may not exist.



In the picture above you can get an idea of just how massive this area is; there are three groups of people walking to the dunes.



With the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and fertile San Luis Valley nearby this is a great place to take photos.  If you are traveling in a 4x4, take a drive on Medano pass road for even more picture taking opportunities.  Again, check the website for current road conditions.

http://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park, located in Southwestern Colorado, is an amazing link to the past and a peek into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans who lived there.  This park was established in 1906 to "preserve the works of man."  The work continues today with over 4,700 archaeological sites being studied and preserved.

In the photo below you can see a column of indentations, known as hand and foot holds, these are the "stairs" from one level to the next in the cliff dwellings.

The park is famous for the 600 cliff dwellings in the area but there are numerous mesa top sites as well.  Current archeological work is being done throughout the park, (above) they are excavating and cataloguing the ruins at The Far View complex.  It is believed that the Ancestral Puebloans lived at Far View for 200 years before the building of the cliff dwellings and continued occupying it after as well.

If you would like more information about the research being conducted visit:

http://www.visitmesaverde.com/vacation-attractions/archeological-sites.aspx

Canyon de Chelley National Monument - Step Back in Time

If you find yourself in Northeast Arizona, a must see is the Canyon de Chelley NM.  For the ultimate experience I recommend taking horses and riding into the canyon.  If horses are not your style they have jeep tours also. 

The only access to this wonderful place is with a Navajo Guide and it is a step back in time.  

This area is Navajo country and many of the families call this place home.  Ranching and farming are a way of life and the preservation of their ancestors traditions are passed down from generation to generation.  As you wind through the canyon, your guide will relay the meanings of the petroglyphs and places that were important with day-to-day living.  One of many fascinating things we learned was the communication areas where messages were relayed.  The acoustics in these areas allowed the sound to be amplified by bouncing off the rock formations.  It was also fun to hear your voice echo miles through the canyon and up to 9 times, fun!

Along side the locals are signs of the past.  If you look carefully (above), you can see cliff dwellings under the rock ledge.  These are located throughout the canyon and were a great preview of things to come...Mesa Verde National Park. 

Grand Canyon National Park

Williams, Arizona, Gateway to the Grand Canyon, is a very picturesque mountain town with Route 66 as the Main Street!  It is about 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon on Highway 64 and provides the closest lodging to the Grand Canyon without staying in the National Park itself.


From Williams, a short 59-mile drive north will put the splendor of the Grand Canyon before your eyes. Once there, you'll grasp why this 190-miles long, one-mile deep mammoth formation covering 1,900 square miles is hailed as one of the world's seven natural wonders.


We biked on the south rim where no hikers or cars are allowed and it was magnificent.  It was along this route that I saw my first California Condor and it was so exciting!  We were able to find one of the nest sites and see two of them flying over the Canyon....a birder's dream.

The Ghost Town that's Still Alive - Chloride, Arizona

This is the view from Chloride, Arizona "the land of far horizons" and you can see why.  The name of this town came from the silver chloride found and mined in the hills.  It is a great place to stop and see how the locals live among the "ghosts".  There are many trails nearby to hike, bike and walk and even some petroglyphs above town - ask a local about them.  A visitor center is located in the Mine Shaft Market and is a great way to learn about the area.

Wildlife was a little scarce in the heat of the desert but we had many Jack rabbits and California Quail to keep us entertained.

Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve in Nevada

This little Jewel in the desert outside of Las Vegas is a nature lovers paradise and a great getaway if the strip becomes too much.  Located in Henderson, Nevada, about 40 minutes south of Las Vegas, the Preserve centers around the City's Wastewater Reclamation Facility.  The location is on the eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway and with it being the third largest body of water in Southern Nevada makes this an ideal place for migrating birds as well as a variety of native birds.

The preserve is 140 acres and is comprised of 9 ponds making access easy to view the birds.  Take advantage of the tower to see the preserve from above and get an idea of where to go.  Make sure to check in at the Nature Center for the list of special sightings and interesting finds for the day.

For more information go to: http://www.cityofhenderson.com/parks/parks/bird_preserve.php