We are on the last leg of this winter/spring's adventure - we drive to SLC tomorrow for a few days with Grandma Shirley then back to Idaho we go. Right now we are spending a relaxing day in Green River, UT, in a RV park surrounded by ranches and farms - very pastoral and pleasant. We had originally intended to stop in Moab but all RV parks there were full. It was a zoo of people (don't know if there was something special going on or if it's just springtime in Moab) so we were happy to drive right on through and stop at peaceful Green River.

Prior to coming here we spent three nights in Cortez, CO, which was quite enjoyable but very busy. Last Wednesday we hiked around Hovenweep National Monument looking at all the unusual ancient towers and rooms perched on cliff edges and on isolated boulders.

It is the ultimate environmental architecture - the shape and form of the natural foundation determined the shape and form of the structures.

On our way back to the RV park we stopped at a local winery - the Guy Drew Vineyards.

After enjoying the free tasting we bought a couple of bottles of a white blend and a bottle of port. They do make some of the traditional red wines like Merlot but we began to realize how spoiled we have become with the phenomenal red wines made in the Verde Valley.

Last Thursday we visited Mesa Verde National Park which isn't a dog friendly park so with left Abby in the care of one of the managers at our RV park (they offer "pet services" for a fee that includes taking a walk every couple of hours). Abby seemed to love it.

That's Mesa Verde in the background

Whereas at Hovenweep all of the structures were built on the top of cliffs, at Mesa Verde most are built in alcoves in cliff faces.

Note the ladder behind Sharon climbing out of the canyon

Both Mesa Verde and Hovenweep date to the same time period (mostly the 13th century) and were only occupied for a few generations before the whole area was abandoned. It had been a period of very rapid population growth (immigration) related to a period of global warming known to climatologists as the Medieval Warm Period. But by about 1300 the world was crashing into the the Little Ice Age and the mesa tops could no longer support the large populations (especially given the natural resource depletion that occurred during over population). So folks left for lower altitudes and ended up congregating in very large communities along the major rivers (like the pueblos we visited last year in New Mexico in the Rio Grande River drainage).

When we left Mesa Verde and returned to our RV park we found that we had received an email related to the sale of our townhouse. The home inspection was done and they found a few issues that the buyer wants rectified. We considered our response and in the morning before we left Cortez for Green River we crafted a document, signed it (and the official form documenting that we had seen the inspection report), found a fax machine in town and submitted it. So we have five smallish projects to do over the next month before the sale closes on or about May 30. Another reason to get back to Idaho.