Stepping Back in Time and Place: Bandolier National Monument

The bright blue sky and the glorious surroundings of Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

 



I know I'm in the midst of extolling New York City, but I wanted to do one more post about my trip to New Mexico, before it becomes memory. It was a near perfect trip. I enjoyed Santa Fe's history and art galleries and museums, ate terrific food and loved the hotel I stayed in. But the real treasure of the trip was seeing the area around Santa Fe. I anticipated that the landscape would be beautiful, but that doesn't do justice to the magnificent land and skyscapes I saw. One visit also doesn't do justice to the area and I now understand why Georgia O'Keefe  returned every year after her visit  and then moved there.  

A perfect day to walk the trail at Bandelier

Bandelier National Monument was at the top of my excursion list when I was planning this trip. It's not as well known as Yosemite or Yellowstone, but it was well worth the trip. The park consists of 33,000 acres north of Santa Fe, and preserves the 11,000 year history of the Ancient Pueblo People who built there homes on the volcanic cliffs. 

The rooms of the Pueblo homes are carved into the cliffs. It reminded me very much of the rock city of Petra in Jordan. 

My visit was during the "off season" and Bandelier wasn't crowded. At many moments I felt I had the park all to myself.

The weather was a perfect mid-sixties and the sun was bright. The trail is relatively easy and the first part is accessible. After a mile there are stairs to climb, but it was a mostly level walk. I ended up walking four miles during my visit.

I walked to the Alcove House, which was once home to approximately 25 Ancestral Pueblo people. The only way to reach Alcove House is to climb three ladders, and then descend on the same ladders. I thought I might be able to go up, but my worry was coming down. I was concerned about being stuck on the ladder -- or ledge -- and needing a Park Ranger to rescue me. Thought it sounded fascinating I skipped the climb and settled for a photograph.  

 

Thanks for coming along to Bandelier with me. I hope you will join me tomorrow as we return to New York City for our first day visiting in New York City for the A-to-Z Blog Challenge for April.