Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings

This morning we had a breakfast of sausage/livermush/eggs and toast AFTER we turned on the heater. Then we drove about 20 minutes to the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. Maggie was welcomed there so she came along with us. We were able to just walk around the dwellings, room by room and get a glimpse of the world of the Anasazi, also known as the Ancient Ones or the Ancestral Puebloans. This is one of the most accessible examples of cliff dwelling architecture. The alcoves provided shelter from wind, rain and snow. The people of this advanced culture existed in the Four Corners area from 1100 AD to 1300 AD. This preserve was first open to the public in 1907. Until 1984, local Native Americans lived in and utilized this space. Today, you will find similar structures still being inhabited by Pueblo Indians in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.

After visiting the Cliff Dwellings we drove across the highway to the Red Rock Canyon hiking trails. We hiked with Maggie for about 30 minutes and then gave it up for an earlier and cooler start one day next week. The trails were beautiful and even include a dog park. We will come better prepared next week. After a stop at Home Depot to buy everything possible to fix a leak we came back to the camper for a relaxing afternoon. Billy is again under the bed working on the leak and I am fixing country fried steak, fresh butter peas, and mashed potatoes for dinner. "Life is Good Today!"