Itinerary Items #2 and #3

• Monday morning... go to the hot springs in Pagosa. Shower.
• Monday afternoon... drive to Mesa Verde National Park. Camp two nights, hike, eat.

The springs...
Not too much to say about them really. This is the place to go because there are all kinds of pools to soak in. All the warmer ones are pretty smelly. We had gone in the winter too, and I think it's more fun in the winter actually. It's pretty expensive but there are free showers and they'll give you free shampoo and soap if you ask for it.

Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Palace (left) was a short downstairs walk, while Balcony House (right) required a climb up the fun ladder in the centre. Ancient Puebloans occupied these cliff dwellings at the end of the 12th century / beginning of the 13th.

• Best part: The $3 guided tour of Balcony House.
• Worst part: We could have stayed for another day or two to see all the sights and sites.
• Lesson learned? The hiking for the guided tours isn't very grueling, you probably don't need to carry a pack with a litre of water in it when it's overcast.
• Rating? 5 stars! (outta 5)

This place was great! The Morefield campground had free showers with hot water, potable water taps at the campsites, you get to pick out your own site to camp in (reservations are advised) and beautiful views were everywhere.

Seeing and learning about Cliff Palace and Balcony House from the guides was well worth it, even if the hiking wasn't of the thrill seeking sort. We had a bit of that ahead of us yet.