Bandelier National Monument

We have been in Santa Fe for a couple days, checking out the town and enjoyed a delicious lunch yesterday at The Shed. This morning we checked out the Railyard Farmers Market.  Our winning purchase was a “Hatch Chile Croissant”!  To our surprise it was so good!

After the Farmers Market we headed to Bandelier National Monument about 35 miles from Santa Fe and is part of the Jemez Volcanic field. This monument dates back more than 10,000 years.  Native Americans moved in and out of this area following movement of game animals.  Bandelier National Monument consists of ruins of above ground stone dwellings in the Frijoles Canyon and are known for Ancestral Pueblo people.  Along our 2 mile tour we passed the ruins of the  “plaza of Tyuonyi” a circular multi-layered stone and mud village.  The path continued to the “cave rooms”. The cave rooms were carved out of the cliff that is compressed volcanic ash! It is believed stone buildings were built in front of the cave rooms.  

Visitors follow skinny stairs and paths that are in front of the cave rooms.  We were allowed to climb wood ladders and experience the inside of the caves!  It was really fun and interesting to stand in a room of the cliff where ancient people once lived.  As we walked we also saw petroglyphs etched into the cliffs.  Compared the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Bandelier seemed so real because we could go inside the cave dwellings. We highly recommend Bandelier.

Today was a great day and excellent weather, 82 degrees, sunny with light wind.  

We have a busy week ahead of us.  We head to an area near Ghost Ranch. It was the home and studio of Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as the subject of many of her paintings.  More on this adventure later.  Later in the week we are going to have two days of “luxury” at Los Poblanos Inn! 

Enjoy the photo gallery!