Saturn is slowly making a circle around Jupiter. December 23, 2020.
My favorite photographer for today is Julie at Frog Pond Farm, https://frogpondfarm.co.nz/, in Waimauku, West Auckland, Newzealand. I have followed Julie for many years. She is a lovely person, a successful farmer, and a wonderful photographer. Frog Pond Farm is about as close to paradise as one can get.
For day 2 of the travel photo challenge, I present you with a lot of photos of Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado near the New Mexican border. We went to a Native Plant Society convention in August 2008 in Farmington, New Mexico near the four corners where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah meet. The session we had signed up for was canceled at the last minute, so we drove up to Mesa Verde and spent a wet afternoon exploring the cliff dwellings. If you are afraid of heights, cliffs, steep climbs, and sheer drops, then Mesa Verde is not a place you want to visit.
The introduction on the Nationa Park Service website reads: “Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.” See https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm.
Off Center & Not Even 
Spectacular photos 🤗
Thanks, Gabriela.
My pleasure 🎄
Those are fantastic shots of the cliff dwellings, Tim. Seeing them built would have been fascinating.
It would have been interesting to see. Thanks, Lavinia.
Wow! What a spectacular place to visit! Your photos are so cool.
Thanks, Dale. Cliff dwellings are interesting. We Bandalier Cliff dwellings, Gila Cliff dwellings and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Canyon De Chelly is in eastern Arizona.
Very cool.
Utterly amazing shots, Sir!
Our like the cows say “udderly” amazing. Thanks, Inchcock.
Haha!
It is amazing that the moon(s) of Saturn are visible on your photo
Jupiters moons are visible. Thanks, Harry.
Oh, wow, my friend… brilliant shots! That ladder looks pretty ominous to climb!!! 😉
Thanks, Marina. It’s very steep and not for one with virtigo.
Most definitely!!!! 🙄
Oh my. My kind of place. This is beyond brilliant. Love this post.
Thanks, Shey.
Great to see Jupiter and Saturn again. Your impressions from Mesa Verde National Park are nothing but stunning. I visited the place many, many years ago so this brought back lots of lovely memories.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, Tim 🎄
Best wishes for a healthy New Year!
The Fab Four of Cley 🤶🏻🧚🏻♀️🎄🧚🏻♀️🎅🏻
Thanks, Dina. Always happy to bring back memeroies. Merry Christmas.
The pictures of Mesa Verde are realy impressive, I think I once saw a similar city on a television documentary.
Thanks, picpholio.
Buone Feste Timothy 🙂
Merry Christmas, Simona.
Brilliant photos, Timothy. Wishing you peace at Christmastime.
Thanks.
I’m gobsmacked! Tim, I’m sorry your session got cancelled, but wow! What glorious photos you got instead. Thanks for sharing them with us. Merry Christmas.
Thanks, Teagan, I’m happy you liked the tour. Merry Christmas. Give Crystal a Christmas kiss for me.
Nice photo tour of MV.
I believe around 2010-12, the NPS closed down Mesa Verde to rebuild infrastructure and for preservation work. One of the things they reworked was the tour. Foot traffic was wearing away and tearing at the dwellings. From a liability perspective, it was a nightmare waiting to happen – what if a visitor suffers a serious injury? The NPS has quietly made injury settlements through the years. They have left visitors overnight in the dwellings to wait out thunderstorms. One time, they had to evacuate tourists when a wildfire was threatening to overrun the complex. NPS said their want list for MV is a long one.
It’s a liability nightmare. Thanks, David.
These photographs are just amazing, I have never seen anything like this. What a wonderful thing to behold, we have actually saved something this old in the US is amazing. Your work is stunning and so is the scenery. Just amazing Tim, thank you. We enjoyed reading the history together as well. Sending you lots of love and hugs and holiday wishes to ya’ll from us. Love J and S
Thanks, Joni. Our dry climate preserves things very well. Merry Christmas.
My pleasure. I had know idea all those ruins were there. Amazing work. 🤗💕❤️ thank you. Love y’all
I’ve been there many times, it was close to my Grandparents’ house, so amazing!
That’s very cool. I’ll bet you had a lot of fun. Thanks, Tiffany.
Oh Tim thank you so much! Gosh I’m stuck for words .. most unlike me! You by the way are one of my favourite photographers … Merry Christmas
Thanks, Julie. Merry Christmas.
Forgot to say .. Wonderful photos Tim! As I’m scared of heights this is one place I won’t be visiting 🙂
Not a good place if you are afraid of heights.
Hi Tim, breathtaking photos. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Mia. Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
Gorgeous photographs. Love the rock formations and ruins.
Merry Christmas Timothy.
Merry Christmas, Holly.
Thank you Tim, Merry Christmas 🎁
Great tour of the Mesa Verde, heights never bothered me too much but over the past few years I decided I’d prefer not to push my luck so very happy to see these shots over the internet 🙂 And I agree with you about Julie and her Frog Pond Farm, it is about as close to paradise as one can get. Cheers!
Thanks, Randall. As I get older, climbing around difficult places is getting more difficult. Especially with all the aches, pains and stiffness after the fact.
It is definitely related to age. Where in the past I wouldn’t give a second thought about what I was doing…these days, I look down and around then and ask myself if am I crazy 🙂