Road and guardrail damage delay the park's reopening.

Mesa Verde National Park is one of those Colorado national parks I've not had the opportunity to visit yet. It's definitely on my 2019 "to do" list. It's one our nation's earlier places set aside and preserved as part of the National Park system. On June 29, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park to "preserve the works of man."

There have been challenges at the park since the shutdown. Visitor's have been turned away since before Christmas because of heavy snows and the lack of funding for snowplows to clear the roads. Now that the President and Lawmakers have agreed on a deal to temporally fund the federal government most National Parks have reopened. Not Mesa Verde.

Over the weekend, Cristy Brown the public information officer at the park reported that the Visitor and Research Center and the park won't reopen until 8:30 AM on Monday, February 4th. The delay is due to road and guardrail damage. “During the shutdown, several large rockfalls occurred on the main park road between mile markers 2 and 3, causing damage to the road and guardrail,” says Brown. “Repairing the road damage and replacing the guardrail, along with substantial snow removal, are necessary to ensure visitor and staff safety prior to the park reopening.”

Looks like my trip to Mesa Verde will have to wait. No worries, I wasn't planning to head that way until we get some warmer weather anyway. The "Million Dollar Highway" is a little tricky in winter.

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