I'll go with a seat in the Balcony
I'm going to cast my vote with Dave. I've only been to Mesa Verde once, and I didn't make the climb to the Balcony House, but there just aren't that many ruins that are this well preserved, and even fewer that allow visitors to get this close to the structures. Of those, there's only one that I know of where you have to scramble up a ladder and steep stone steps.Originally Posted by Southwest Dave
Rick
April showers bring May flowers
While we're waiting to resolve the question of which Anasazi ruin was featured in that last post, I'm going to toss out a new one, with a slightly different theme. In a normal year, a lot of us would have been out on the road these last couple of months, enjoying the wildflowers that bloom along the roadside every spring, in just about every part of the country. There's one area in particular that I dearly love, so let's see if anyone out there can guess it from these roadside photos:
Need something that might put those wildflowers into some sort of context? Here's a road:
And here's an actual clue:
Where am I? You don't have to be precise on this one. I'm looking for the name of the state, and the commonly used two-word description of the general area. If you're REALLY good at this, try naming the highway!
Rick
Mesa Verde National Park is the correct park but it's not Balcony House ruins. Here a hint picture that might give it away. This is a better view of the main attraction at the end of the hike.
I have one more picture that would totally give it away if needed.
Utahtea
I was thinking either California or Texas but then most of California isn't that flat and Texas is. Then with that last clue picture having a clue of a hill in it, I'm going to guess Hill Country in Texas. While I've never been I did live in Texas as a child and in 2001 when we traveled though Texas we had considered stopping there but it was to much out of our way...so I knew about it.While we're waiting to resolve the question of which Anasazi ruin was featured in that last post, I'm going to toss out a new one, with a slightly different theme. In a normal year, a lot of us would have been out on the road these last couple of months, enjoying the wildflowers that bloom along the roadside every spring, in just about every part of the country. There's one area in particular that I dearly love, so let's see if anyone out there can guess it from these roadside photos:
Need something that might put those wildflowers into some sort of context? Here's a road:
And here's an actual clue:
Where am I? You don't have to be precise on this one. I'm looking for the name of the state, and the commonly used two-word description of the general area. If you're REALLY good at this, try naming the highway!
Rick
Utathea
One more guess. I'm gonna say Square tower house.Mesa Verde National Park is the correct park but it's not Balcony House ruins. Here a hint picture that might give it away. This is a better view of the main attraction at the end of the hike.
Dave.
Dave guessed it!
This view from the overlook is what most people associate with Square Tower House.
I did not realize they had ranger lead hikes to this ruins until 2016 when I was helping my friend plan a trip to Mesa Verde. I told her that I had never done this hike but if she felt up to it she should do it. She loved it! This is a ranger lead hike of only 10 people and you have to make reservations well in advance. I was bummed when they didn't offer it in 2017 when we went again to Mesa Verde but really excited when it was offered last year. We made reservations 6 months in advance and at that time it was $25 per person. It's well worth it.
As you see in this picture I showed before, you see sections that can not be seen from the overlook. Up high is what is know as the crows nest.
Utahtea
Another Winner!
That was a very good guess! I'm glad my clue worked as intended. I wasn't sure if I was being too subtle--or too obvious! The Hill Country makes a great day trip out of Austin or San Antonio, and it also qualifies as a pretty great Scenic Side Trip, an alternative to the Interstate Highways. I have friends in Austin, so when I'm driving cross country, I always make a point of stopping there, and the best route to get there from I-10 takes you right through the heart of the Hill Country. When you're traveling east, US 290 splits off from the Interstate about 60 miles west of San Antonio and takes you through Fredericksburg and Johnson City before leading you into Austin through the back door (avoiding the ultra-congested I-35 corridor). It's very pretty country in the wildflower season, as you can see from the pictures, and there's other stuff to see as well. Fredericksburg was the home of Admiral Chester Nimitz, and it's the location of the National Museum of the Pacific War, which has to be one of the best collections of military equipment and memorabilia in existence. A little further down the road, just outside of Johnson City, they've got the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, with the Texas White House and various other exhibits related to LBJ's life and presidency.
The most common bloom in the photos is a colorful relative of the sunflower. They call it Indian Blanket in Texas, but over the border in Oklahoma it's known as Firewheel. Gorgeous, no matter what you call it!
Crazy Kayakers
I've never set foot (or any other body part) in a Kayak. The mere notion of doing an "Eskimo Roll," even in tropical waters (much less in the arctic), quite frankly terrifies me. For those who can handle it, Kayaking is a thrilling sport, especially in turbulent water when the sleek little boats plunge over steep drops, and then come bursting up through the spray like so many sounding porpoises. It looks like so much fun, but I'm just not that strong a swimmer, so for what I've got left of this lifetime, I'm content to watch from the shore. Ordinarily, that involves traipsing off to some distant wilderness where the untamed rivers still flow free--but not always. There's one good kayaking spot that I know about that's so easy to get to it's ridiculous. The following string of pictures was taken in a place that's less than 18 miles from the famous downtown of a major U.S. City. The falls are accessible by paved road; no bumping, bouncing, or scrambling required.
I like to get started early when I'm out taking pictures, and this day was no exception. From the parking area, I followed a pretty little creek toward the river.
The creek got rowdy as it rolled downward, fast water flowing between rocky banks, and the rumble of nearby rapids grew louder and louder.
Then I saw the famous river. There was already a Kayaker on the opposite shore, carrying his boat upstream...
...toward the calm water above the rapids
I made my way along the bank to a better vantage point
where I had a good view of the largest waterfall
with my telephoto lens, I got some good photos of the kayaks coming down the chute
It's never as easy as it looks:
Now, there are a lot of places across the country that might be similar, so remember that big clue: less than 18 miles from a famous downtown! And if that doesn't help, here's one more clue: this vessel, located very near the falls, was not hauled or transported to the spot where you see it in the picture. Once upon a time, the place where you see it is the very place where it was used.
Where am I? Which river is it? And what major city is a mere 18 miles away?
Rck
To me that looks like a canal barge, such as on the Erie Canal, which runs between Albany and Buffalo. ("Low bridge! Everybody down! Low bridge, cuz we're comin' to a town!") Sure are some beautiful falls.
Donna
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
I don't think anything between Buffalo and Albany is a major city with a famous downtown.
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