New Mexico Part 2
Bandelier is where the Indians built their homes into the cliff faces. They are made of soft volcanic rock, so their homes were carved into the side (called cavetes), and then structures were built outside of them--often multi-leveled. Little of the outside structure remains. The ancestral pueblo folks lived here from about 1100 to 1500 AD.
Greg thought it would be sooooo funny to get a picture of my butt as I climbed up into one of the dwellings.
Me looking out from the cavate.
And the view I saw. Gorgeous!!
Greg moves into a cavete. The ceilings in these were often blackened to make it less crumbly. Now they are blackened to get rid of the graffiti that is added by visitors.
Some of them still have paint inside. The habitants painted both the inside and the outside.
Petroglyphs abound when you look for them. This is the closest they have to a written language.
This is a petroglyph of a macaw. Personally, I thought it was a donkey, but a park ranger set me straight. They believe that this was a major trading area, with the locals using obsidian as their currency, and that they either saw, or bought, a macaw with it since they aren't a native bird. I wonder if they ate it, or kept it as a pet :).
After Bandelier we went to Santa Fe. Here I am giddy with excitment at finding their lilacs are in bloom! I missed the season here in DC and I just LOVE the smell.
This is the staircase at the Loretto Chapel. It is believe a miracle took place here. In a nutshell it is believed St. Joseph built this after the Loretto nuns prayers (they ran out of money when building the chapel and had no way to reach the choir stands). It is built without any supports, or any nails, from wood not known to exist previously. And it was built 130 years ago with only a hammer, a saw and a square. It's construction is impeccable and mystifies modern architects and engineers.
This is the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the US, built in 1610, and still holding mass on Sundays.
Me with the worlds largest turquoise nugget. I was told it was good luck to touch it, but I'm not so sure. Still, I'm powerless to resist a good tourist moment.
The last thing we did was drive up to Abiquiu to hike in Ghost Ranch. This is where Georgia O'Keefe lived and did much of her painting. Again, Greg thought it would be sooo funny to get a picture of my butt.
A shot of Chimney Rock from afar. We decided to hike to the top of this mesa, even though it was gusty winds. What I won't do for a good view!
Greg takes a short break along the way. Truthfully he probably wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for me. But at 6,000 feet, and with a chest cold, I was taking things very slowly. Not to mention the climb went up an additional 600 feet.
A view along the way. The body of water is the Abiquiu dam.
Me at the top resting on a very cool tree. One I investigaged for rattle snacks, once again.
Self-portrait at the top, and a nice shot to end our vacation!
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