Vacation in the Mountains, Day 2 (Part 1: Manitou Cliff Dwellings)

I am going to divide Day 2 (our first full day) into parts.  The reason being that we took a lot of pictures and I have a hard time being discriminating.  We took just under 400 on that particular day alone, but I assure you I will not subject you to all of them, only about a third of them.  Since I don't want anyone to suffer from retinal bleeding or a cramped finger from scrolling, I will share the pictures in more reasonable chunks.

Day 2 started off with a visit to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.   The cliff dwellings were built by Native Americans (Anasazi which means The Ancient Ones) 700 years ago and are located in Manitou Springs at the foot of Pikes Peak. 

Not only were we allowed to touch the red sandstone dwellings, we were also able to go inside of them as well. 

This is a Pueblo style building that houses a museum and gift shop.

Within the walls of the museum we were enlightened to how the Anasazi once lived.  From how they painstakingly made pottery by hand to how they cared for their young.  Here is a picture of some of the aforementioned pottery.

The girls loved exploring every nook and cranny of the dwellings.  It was like a maze; a delicately hand made maze.

The detail with which the dwellings were made is exquisite.  They were definitely a sight to behold!  And to think that 700 years ago Native Americans called them their home.  I could feel the rich history within the walls.

 

Papa and Natalie admiring the craftsmanship of the Native Americans. 

A broader view of the dwellings.

The girls were happy to stop exploring briefly for a picture.

I love this picture even though it is slightly out of focus.

Madeleine and Audrey were feeling brave enough to climb a ladder to the second story of this home.  The very same ladder that the Anasazi Indians once used to move from one level to another. 

I read that the Anasazi had very few doors or windows on the first floor, providing them with protection, and when being attacked they pulled up the ladders.

Here they are once they reached the top.

Once the girls climbed the ladder to the second floor they were uneasy about coming down.  Audrey eventually conquered her fear with a little bit of help, but I had to all out rescue Madeleine.  She refused to go down the same ladder she crawled up, forcing me to cram myself into a tiny opening to retrieve her.

After she emerged, I was able to as well.

Of course Steven was standing by to take pictures of it all.

We also saw many flowers that are native to the area.  They were all labeled and placed along a trail. 

My personal favorite pictures are the following ones that Steven took.  I love the bumble bee that is foraging on the flower.

I will begin to wrap this post up with random pictures from the day, including obligatory family pictures.  But first, here is a picture of me in the mountains.  I heart the mountains.

Audrey with her pal, Aunt Gracie.  They were waiting for the rest of the group on one of the many occasion we got separated.  There was so much to see and do that it was easy to get lost in it all.

My sisters and I

Grammy with all of her girls.

Mommy & Madeleine

Daddy and Audrey

Papa with the little ladies.

The whole family.  Natalie was kind enough to take our picture many times, documenting our visits to all of the attractions.  

As magnificent as the cliff dwellings were, there was more lovely scenery to feast our eyes on. 

As handsome as he is, he's not the scenery I was referring to.  Rather the alluring backdrop that Madeleine is looking at here.

The majestic mountains that Audrey is looking at here.

And the beauteous terrain Steven is admiring here.

At the end of our visit we all gathered at a picnic table to discuss our plans for the rest of the day: a trip to Manitou Springs.  To be continued . . .