Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument is West of Santa Fe, and covers 33,727 acres.  I was particularly interested in visiting the part of the park in Frijoles Canyon, where you can see ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings. 
Stephen and I went to visit Bandelier on Labor Day.  We got a late start, so we had lunch in Santa Fe first.  I wanted to go to the Annapurna World Vegetarian Cafe.  Stephen agreed, but when we got there it was closed for the holiday, so we went to the Yummy Cafe next door, which offers a variety of Asian dishes.  I had baby bok choy with black mushrooms and it was indeed yummy.

Had we done a little more research, we would have discovered that if you want to drive to the Visitor's Center at Bandelier, you have to get there before 9 AM.  Otherwise, you have to park at a campground area and take a shuttle bus.  The lack of clear signage was confusing and we wasted some time driving around trying to figure out the system, but we finally caught the bus,taking our water bottles and hats and camera with us.  It was around 90 degrees and sunny when we started on the trail at about 2:30 PM.  The park ranger warned everyone as we got off the bus that it had been raining on the mountain and the Frijoles creek that runs parallel to parts of the trail would soon flood with a wall of water.  She gave strict instructions not to cross the creek.  Fortunately, we didn't need to cross  the creek to visit the sites we were interested in seeing.

Our annoyance over the difficulty of getting there soon dissolved as we were awed by the amazing cliff dwellings.  The rock is compressed volcanic ash, and some parts of it are harder than others.  Wind and water erosion created intricate designs and holes, some of which were hollowed out further by the Pueblo people to create caves large enough to sleep in or even stand in.  Visitors are allowed to go in certain caves which are marked with wooden ladders.  In some places, steel railings have been added for safety, and the trail has been improved and marked.

 We both climbed up into some of the caves.  This one would be good for sleeping.  Another was large enough to stand up in, sort of a round dining-room size.  There wasn't enough light to get a good picture inside.

Stephen took a picture of this area because of the colony of cactus growing on the bare rock.  Incredible!

 In some places, the Pueblo people also built square rooms of adobe adjacent to the caves.  Here is one such house.

 In the background here you can see the foundation walls of a round series of rooms.  The guidebook says they were probably used for food storage.  There was also a kiva; a round hole lined with adobe bricks that would have had a domed roof and was most likely used for rituals and storytelling.  The photo below has a better view of the foundations.

Just about the time we reached this point on the trail, a wall of water did come down the creek and caused it to become a raging muddy river.  You can just see it through the trees in the photo above.  Of course, a few yahoos had ignored the ranger's advice and had crossed the creek, and were stuck on the other side.  They had to wait until the flood waters subsided and the one remaining bridge (the others succumbed to earlier floods) was no longer under water. 

Stephen and I turned back with much yet to be explored.  I had caught a cold from my new students and was not at my best.  But we are greatly looking forward to going back and seeing the Long House and the Alcove House, both of which are farther along the trail.  So if you come to visit us and want to visit Bandelier, we will be more than happy to go back!