starrynights's blog

Mesa Verde Ranger led tours now open to bookings for spring/summer 2021

Mesa Verde is excited to announce that our cliff dwelling tour season will soon begin! After suspension of tour operations in 2020 due to the pandemic, we are so excited to return to some of the park’s most spectacular sites: Long House, Cliff Palace, Mug House, Square Tower House, and Spring House.

Things will look a little different this year. Tour operations will be modified to improve safety, with reduced numbers to improve distancing between family groups.

Shooting Stars, Falling Stars & More Stars!

Mark your calendars for April 19 because the oldest recorded meteor shower is going to be visible in the night sky. The Lyrid meteor shower was first recorded by ancient Chinese astronomers in 687 B.C., according to EarthSky.org, and the shower of meteors was described as ‘falling like rain.” Hopefully, this year’s shower will be just as beautiful.

Top 9 Places to Stay Near Mesa Verde National Park & Winter at Mesa Verde

We here at Starry Nights Ranch B&B were honored to be featured in a recent article in Trips to Discover, a popular digital travel magazine with a monthly readership of over 1.6 million. In their search for the “coolest and most accommodating places to stay near Mesa Verde National Park” our B&B was featured as #2 in the top 9 places to stay.
https://www.tripstodiscover.com/places-to-stay-near-mesa-verde-national-park/

Butch Cassidy's Hideout

Most visitors to our little town of Mancos are here to see the wonders left behind by the Anasazi (Ancient Puebloans) at Mesa Verde National Park, the treasures to be found at our local galleries in the Creative District, or outdoor adventures such as river rafting, steam train excursions, hiking, and mountain biking in our beautiful national forests. But we often overlook the western settlement history of which Mancos and surrounding areas are so full.

Starry Nights and Western Trains!

Do you often watch the night sky in hopes of seeing a falling star? How do you make the night skies at Starry Nights Ranch even more spectacular? Meteor showers, of course! Here are some upcoming events that will be easily observable from our mesa top at Starry Nights Ranch:

Southern Delta Aquariids, peaking on July 28-29, while the moon is 66% full.

Alpha Capricornids, peaking July 28-29, while the moon is 66% full.

Perseids, peaking August 11-12, while the moon is 47% full.

What's Happening in and Around Mancos this Month?

The Cortez Cultural Center, located at 25 N. Market Street, will host Native American dances outside on the plaza every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening @7pm through August 15th.

*Covid-19 safety measures in place include: face masks required, 6 feet social distancing, bathrooms will be sanitized after every use, indoor services sanitized regularly, and hand sanitizers will be available for guest use.

Yay! Mesa Verde is open to visitors!

The Park began a phased reopening on May 24^th, working with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor access to all parks service wide. The facilities open to the public now at Mesa Verde are: the main park road and all overlooks including Montezuma Overlook, Park Point, and Geologic Overlook, Far View Terrace Café and Gift Shop, Far View Archeological sites, Mesa Top Loop Drive (including all stops and overlooks), Cliff Palace/Balcony House Loop Drive, Spruce Tree House overlooks, all hiking trails, Chapin Mesa picnic area, Spruce Tree T

Spring at Starry Nights Ranch

Although the Corona Virus is still plaguing the world, we here at Starry Nights Ranch B&B continue to welcome the occasional guest looking for an escape or travelers seeking a safe haven on their journey. Trees are leafing out, flowers blooming, and grass is greening up. We see baby animals snuggling up to their mamas – both domestic and wild. Hummingbirds are dive-bombing us as they compete for the nectar from the flowers and our feeders. Although Mesa Verde National Park is still closed to visitors, we watch it come to life from our deck. Sunsets ar