Alli: The second day of vacation began with a crappy batch of waffles and a 60-mile drive out to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Needless to say the latter was more exciting. The park reminded me of the Badlands of South Dakota in the sense that you drive though the whole state seeing one terrain, and then BAM! Something completely different. In this case it was Colorado's own version of the Grand Canyon - smaller, but no less impressive. We did several short hikes that lead us to breathtaking, if not somewhat nerve-racking overlooks of the sheer 2,300 foot drop into the canyon. For scale that's about two Empire State buildings stacked one on top of the other. It's hard to believe that a simple river, winding through beds of rock can create a landscape so profound and awesome. If only the Kish would create something interesting. My favorite part of the park was Dragon Point: two huge dikes in the massive cliffside that formed the images of dragons. The visitor center had a basket of tiny dragon figurines; of course, we made sure to get one and pose with it in front of the real thing.
Having made our way through most of the sites on the south rim drive of the Canyon, we programmed our next stop into the GPS: Mesa Verde National Park. However, we didn't make it more than a couple miles out of the park when a HUGE bug hit near Dad's window and fell right next to my seat. I don't know exactly what kind of bug it was. All I know is that it was big and hairy, and I didn't want it anywhere near me. Dad had to pull the car over and throw it out before we went any further because I was not about to ride next to the creepy crawler. Luckily we managed to get rid of it and continue on our way to Mesa Verde.
Dad: I had to pull the car over as Alli was screaming and becoming one with the door. Upon stopping Alli exited the car it what could only be called an hysterical fit. By the way it was some kind of beetle, about a half-inch long.
By the time we arrived at the park and bought our tour tickets, we only had time to visit one of the cave dwellings before the park closed for the night. Hopping back into the car, we raced up the mountain behind a motorcycle pushing 25 mph. Thankfully we made it in time for the last tour of Cliff Palace. This stop was definitely my favorite part of the trip so far. The stone houses were amazing! Even more intriguing in my opinion was the history of the Anasazi people. I enjoyed hearing the tales about the sipapu, the hole in the center of the kivas that acted as a representation of the hole in the earth that the Anasazi people emerged out of. I guess the anthropology classes I've taken at Northern have given me a deeper appreciation for ancient cultures. Who knows? Maybe I'll intern as a park ranger one of these summers!
Dad: I'm all for that.
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