Skiing, Dwellings, and Bridges

Durango Mountain

After farming on Saturday, I headed over to Durango to meet my Uncle.  We had most delicious dinner and saw some live music.  Then, the next morning, we headed up to Durango Mountain to go skiing.  It was a ton of fun!  We found this fairly long and steep run that, at the beginning of the day was mildly terrifying, but by the end of the day was a blast!  We also had an adventure when we took a wrong turn and found ourselves having to ski through a little section of moguls with a fair amount of straw-like grass sticking up through them.  The whole day was a blast, and full of breathtaking views of the mountains! 

Hovenweep National
Monument 

The next morning, we decided not to go back because the wind was really strong and it was supposed to snow.  Instead, we went and got breakfast in town.  The waitress did not approve when I ordered two pancakes.  She tried to warn me against it, but seeing as I’ve been talked out of ordering a given amount of food in the past and then ended up stilling being hungry at the end of the meal, I went with my original order.  As it turned out, my newfound ability to eat enough for a small nation made short work of those pancakes! 

Hovenweep National 
Monument 

After our ten pounds of pancakes, my uncle and I parted ways.  I headed to the Colorado-Utah border to see Hovenweep National Monument.  The monument contains the remains of several Ancestral Puebloan dwellings.  Most of the buildings were built between 1230 and 1275.  The buildings are round, square, and “D” shaped.  Unlike Mesa Verde, these structures are not built into a cliff.  They are freestanding structures.  Most of the buildings are on the rim of the canyon, but a few of them were in the can shaped.  Unlike Mesa Verde, these structures are not built into a cliff.  They are freestanding structures.  Most of the buildings are on the rim of the canyon, but a few of them were in the canyon.  They are beautiful, well-constructed buildings in gorgeous setting.  It’s amazing to set to stroll through an environment so full of history and mystery!  It is so powerful to get to see ancient structures in their natural environment rather than in a museum! 

After leaving Hovenweep, I headed to Natural Bridges National Monument.  This was the first national park area in Utah.  The monument has three natural bridges.  From my understanding, natural bridges are a type of arch (it’s similar to the concept that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares).  Natural arches are usually formed by a river that erodes away hollow part of the bridge.  They also tend to be a lot more symmetrical than arches.  The monument is fairly small and easily viewed by stopping at the several overlooks along the scenic road.  The bridges are situated in a gorgeous canyon that was made even more striking by the stormy skies.  I stopped to take a short hike to see the Horse Collar Ruins, which has two sections of structures built into an alcove in the canyon wall.  I continued along the road, stopping to gaze at the bridges and the canyon.  I decided to take the very short hike down to see Owachomo Bridge.  It is extremely large and impressive!  It’s the oldest and most well-developed of the bridges in the park.  While it was quick stop, I’m certainly glad I got the chance to see these bridges!        

Natural Bridges
 National Monument 

Natural Bridges
 National Monument