Bandelier National Monument
Native Americans
used to live and farm here about 800 years ago. They lived in homes in a natural alcove high up in
the cliff, in caves hollowed out of the cliffs, and in a village in the valley.
We got to walk
around the valley, and climb into a few of the hollowed out caves and the alcove.
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These kids were on
a multi day class trip of 1st and 2nd graders(!) from a private school in Denver.
I asked one of the adults how many kids came, and she told me, “Well, we had
23, but now there are 22.” That didn’t sound too good. But she went on to
explain, “One had to leave early for a family event.” Whew.
We also climbed
into the alcove which is 140 feet above the ground and accessed by 3 huge
ladders and one small one, and lots of steps.
4th ladder not visible in this photo
Pretty scary. At least for us. Not for the energetic 80 year old who left every one else in the dust, and kindly took this picture of us up on top
Don't know if it was scary for the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here who presumably didn't have the railings and may or may not have had ladders. There were lots of toe holds in the rocks, however.
When we got back
to the visitor center, I went over to the rangers on staff and asked where I
could get the “I Survived the Climb to the Alcove House” tee shirt. They
thought I was joking, and told me it would be a good business opportunity.
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