When we got to the visitor center, we found that the Cliff Palace tours were sold out until 5 PM, while the Balcony House tours were sold out until 4 PM. The Balcony House tour includes some 30 foot ladders and a short tunnel on your hands and knees, so this was not appropriate for some members of the party. Some people bought tickets for the Balcony House tour, and then we had a picnic lunch.
After lunch, we walked down to Spruce House to take a look. Lots of folks looking around, and a line to get down into the kiva. Then it was time to head over for the tour.
Balcony House is known for the small balconies that are found there, complete with the original dirt and bark flooring. The house was built under an overhang, like many at Mesa Verde, and required tons of dirt and stone to be hauled up just to build the floor and retaining wall, let alone the buildings. The water supply was a small seep. The tour guide told us that they no longer refer to these people as Anazai, which is a Navaho word meaning ancient enemy. They now believe that these were the ancestor of the indians of the many Pueblos found in New Mexico and Arizona. The Kivas included the Sipapu, or symbolic hole from which the Pueblan peoples believe that they came from the third world to the fourth world. At the end of the tour, we had to climb a couple of ladders, with a rainstorm starting to build. The rain and wind had started in earnest by the time we climbed the last ladder, and we ran back to the cars. The drive out was done in a downpour, including one lightning strike very close to our car.
About the time we arrived in camp, we received a call from Eileen, letting us know that John was taken by ambulance to the hospital, because he was unable to speak. Dennis and Marianne drove to to the hospital to support Eileen. John was admitted to the hospital to stabilize his glucose levels, which had dropped to zero, making it a near miracle that he was still alive. Marianne spent the night with Eileen at the cabin.
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