Jim,
Mesa Verde is one of the South West's real archeological treasures (along with Chaco Canyon and Canyon de Chelly).
The Anasazi were truly remarkable people. I have visited several times over the years and I highly recommend staying
a couple of days to really explore the cliff dwellings. The Cliff House is relatively easy to visit compared to the
Balcony House which can be physically demanding and certainly not for an acrophob. Here are a few of my images
from some of my visits
Cliff House from the trail
A pano of Cliff house at ground level
Here is how you get up to the Balcony House
The entrance to the ruin is pretty narrow
But once you get up there it is very interesting to see the ruins and the view
And getting back out is probably the trickiest part of the excursion