Heading south and east from Moab, we arrived at Mesa Verde National Park. The Moorefield campground is very pleasant. There are wild turkeys and deer roaming about. Also, there are many eagles roaming the thermals at the mesa’s edge. The park provides guided tours of the cliff sites — you have to register at the visitor centre in advance of the tours.

Ancient Pueblan peoples originally inhabited and farmed the mesa top. For some reason, not understood, they moved from the mesa top to live in cliff dwellings such as this. Shortly thereafter, around 1300 A.D. they disappeared — again, for reasons not understood! [Note, these peoples are often referred to as Anasazi — however in recent years it has come to light that this Navajo word means ‘ancient enemy’ and has perhaps been misapplied to these folk].