On the recommendation of a couple we met at the top of Tent Rocks we decided to do another side trip to Bandelier National Monument. I plug it into the GPS - only 8.5 miles away! Ooops the GPS reconsiders that we don't have wings - 78 miles by road.
The Bandelier area consists of many cliff dwellings which were occupied by Pueblo ancestors for 500 years from around 1000 to 1500 AD. With less than 1/2 the monument surveyed more than 2,400 sites have been located, but not all sites were inhabited at the same time. The trail leads thru some of the dwellings and you can climb up ladders to go inside.
Looking out at the Tyuonyi Village remains from around 1400 AD which could have had up to 600 rooms.
The Long House an 800 foot stretch of adjoining multi-storied stone homes with hand carved caves as back rooms.
Not a long enough hike yet so we opt to take the Alcove House trail to go that extra mile!
We got an early start so we are the first ones on the trail and run into an Alberts or Tassel-earred Squirrel
and a small group of Mule Deer. The one just kept coming at us and stopped to graze about 20 feet away.
Nothing beats a nice walk in the woods
Stair Master? We don't need any stinkin Stair Master! 140 ft climb on 4 ladders.
Going down is always worse.
Tsankawi is another site located 14 miles away. Only 2 Ladders but the footpaths in places are literally only a foot width wide.
This site has been unexcavated and there are pieces of pottery lying about.
We stay 2 nights at the Campground, since we have very quiet neighbors
Though one of them seems a little shady
Enough Cliff Dwellings and Kiva's our last walk to to a waterfall.
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