NEW MEXICO, DAY 4: BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

 June 28, 2021

I had never heard of Bandelier National Monument before this trip, and now I am wondering why. It is a fantastic place to go hiking--almost 34,000 acres (or 50 square miles) of scenic wilderness, three miles of road, over seventy miles of hiking trails, and dozens of structures built between 1150 and 1600 AD by the native Puebloans.

The area was designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and named for Adolph Bandelier, a Swiss-American anthropologist who did a lot of research in this area and advocated for its preservation. Much of the park infrastructure was completed in the 1930s by the CCC.

Our first stop was at the Frijoles Canyon Overlook (so named for the beans that grow along the creek). This is the canyon where we would do all our hiking.

We took a selfie while we still looked relatively fresh.

We made our way to the Visitors Center, where I was once again wowed by the explosion of hollyhocks.

Hmmm? Which trail should we take?

We settled on the Main Loop Trail, "the most popular trail for first-time visitors," with the add-on of the Alcove House trail.

Off we go! The temperature was unseasonably cool--about 60° or a little less.

About .3 miles upriver from the start of the trail, we came across the remains of Tyuonyi ("The Meeting Place") Pueblo, which archaeologists estimate was built between1350 and 1550. At its peak, it had at least two stories and as many as 400 rooms built from "tuff," a light, porous volcanic rock. It is the largest ruin in Bandelier National Monument. It must have been magnificent.

It was hard to get a good idea of the size of the original structures until we could look down on it from the nearby cliff dwellings:

I tried to find out what happened to the people who lived here. Did the Spaniards drive them out? Did the civilization move somewhere else? Did war with another group cause their demise? I saw something about the settlers moving to be closer to the Rio Grande in about 1550, which suspiciously coincides with the arrival of the Spanish explorers.

The "trail" on the lower part of the hike is a paved sidewalk. Note the holes in the cliffs behind Bob--those are a natural part of the volcanic "tuff."

Some of them are actually room-sized, whether made so by nature or man I am not sure.

The sidewalk turned into a trail that hung on the side of the cliffs and led to some of the caves/rooms.

Sometimes buildings used the cliff as a back wall, as shown by this reconstruction.

In other places you can see the holes drilled into the rock to hold the wooden poles that act as roof support. This spot has what I'm guessing is a recent re-decorating attempt at a window covering.

This painting on the wall is protected with a cut-to-fit piece of plexiglas.

The even rows of holes indicate that there were once many buildings here.

The cliff faces are very imposing. How did the residents get up to those holes?

Aha! So THIS is why the wooden ladder is such a common part of the New Mexico décor! We were lucky to be there on a morning when it was not very crowded, and so we didn't have to wait for our turn on what turned out to be numerous ladders.

Have I mentioned how beautiful the flowers were? I would love to be here in spring. It must be dazzling.

Interesting rock designs dot the landscape like pieces of furniture haphazardly strewn about.

This could be a piece of modernist architecture, a la Antoni Gaudi:

Another part of the castle.

Looking down from the cave.

This place is in move-in condition, and it is in a nice neighborhood with room to expand.

However, one of the drawbacks is the steep stairs you'd have to take to get to your mailbox and the rock goblins you would have to pass on the way.

Unfortunately, not all the caves were in such good condition.

Some had less tasteful décor. 

It was rather mind-blowing to see how many rooms had been carved into the mountain. It reminded me a little of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang China, which we visited in 2017. Those caves were carved out in the 4th century AD.

Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China

Can you see the similarities?

Again, note the holes for roof poles. These cave rooms must have been used for storage, with living areas in the constructed buildings attached to the cliff.

Back on the "trail" to another section of the canyon. I wouldn't want to hike this in the winter.

Even the "rest stops" were not your average outhouses.

What a great way to spend a morning.

It was always a shock to look up from the peaceful forest and see these pock-marked giants.

Our next goal was to  make it to Alcove House.

Almost there!

Bob and the top of one of the four ladders (l) and looking down from the top of the same ladder (r):

I counted about 80 rungs on four separate ladders and about 60 steep stone steps. 

Here is a great photo from the National Park Service that shows the entire route to the room at the top--the Alcove House.

Photo from here

A ceremonial kiva has been reconstructed on a site where one once stood inside the Alcove House. Kivas were circular rooms used for ceremonial rites.

Are you wondering what the signs on top of the kiva say?

There is a spiritual, mystical feel to this place.

Going down those long ladders and steep stone steps was just about as fun as going up. Once we were down, we headed back to the parking lot.

This was on a sign identifying bugs that are often seen in the forest.  Excuse me, but the word "pleasing" does not belong in its name.

There are a bunch of campgrounds at the end of the trail just before the parking lot. This would be a great place to come on a family campout or picnic.

Altogether we hiked 2.5 or more miles through really stunning scenery--one of those places I can't believe I had never heard of before this trip. We were lucky to be there when it was less crowded.  We noticed a place near our hotel in White Rock that shuttles people to the park when the relatively small parking lot there is full. That would be a hassle.

We decided to have lunch at the park café, which appeared to be our only option. I like this pueblo model on a shelf in the building, and wonder if it is supposed to be the Tyuonyi Pueblo we had seen the ruins of on the trail.

We both ordered vegan burgers with fries. I had a side of chile mac-n-cheese, and Bob had a side of chile cheese fries.  Everything was okay--not outstanding, but not too bad for a national monument cafeteria.