Hi,

Allen and I went on two more National Park Service tours yesterday in Mesa Verde. I find the tours of the Pueblo cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace and Balcony House, endlessly interesting. The Rangers take us to the site. We’ve had to squeeze through narrow rock passages, climb wooden ladders and at Balcony House crawl on our knees to get to these remote places, That’s a cinch for me but I was impressed by maneuvering and perseverance of some of the tourists. The Rangers, all excellent, present an overview and some facts about the dwelling construction and point out that the Pueblo’s didn’t have a written language so we have to leave a lot to our imagination. I like that. I didn’t like that my camera battery was dead.

New Mexico, Well I thought that Colorado was desert like. I didn’t realize the contrast between the two states. There are mountains in New Mexico, the Rockies. It rained a bit each day in Colorado.

The average temperature in this part of Mexico in July is 95 degrees. We are staying in Santa Rosa State Park overlooking a lake of the same name. One of the first things that I noticed was a flowering cactus. I was inspired to grab my camera and binoculars and amble off towards the lake.

I hiked around taking pictures and gazing at birds. I made it through some brush to the lake edge. I saw a black bird with a yellow head by the water. 2 black, maybe ducks flying low over the water and a small bird, gray with black stripes on his head. A hawk lifted off from behind me and I was startled through my binoculars at this enormous bird. I don’t usually wander off but I don’t want to loose out on an experience. I got lost and turned around trying to find my way back to the campground. I didn’t panic, as the sun was still high, Here I am and here are some of today’s photos. Through the massive RV window I watched the sun set over the lake.

Oh, we are hurrying back. I’m expecting a confirmation on a 4 day job starting 7/30