Bandelier National Monument

Frijoles Canyon

Saturday was a day trip to Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo People. Bandelier is northwest of Santa Fe, near Los Alamos. Due to fires last year and ensuing floods that damaged some parking areas, car traffic was not allowed. We had to take a bus from the nearby town of White Rock to the Visitor Center. This limited us to the Main Loop Trail which began from the Visitor Center. To see the cliff dwellings and the Alcove House took us about 2 hours.

The canyon walls are made up of a layer of soft rock called volanic tuff, so it was easy(relatively) to carve shelter out of the cliff sides. Also, volcanic tuff is easily subjected to the forces of erosion, so the cliffs look pock-marked or pitted.

After our hike, we returned to White Rock. We detoured through the town of Española where we had a late lunch at La Cocina.

Big Kiva

Cliff dwellings

Ground level view of Tyuonyi pueblo

At the base of the cliffs

Weird rock formations. Easter Island-ish?

Exiting the hive

Overhead view of Tyuonyi pueblo

Traffic jam

Cacti

Distant view of the cliffs

Ready to ascend to the Alcove House

Staircase carved into the rock

Looking down the ladder I just climbed

Inside the Alcove House

Storage for the Alcove House

Lamb fajita with refried beans

Jeff's sopapilla stuffed with lamb and other goodies, smothered in green chili