October 9-10 Bandelier/Taos

October 9, Monday

We used the propane furnace last night which made for a comfortable night as temperatures fell to about 40.

We got up with the sunrise and drive to the trailhead for the Main Loop Trail and Bandelier National Monument,  Once there we made blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then set off into Frijoles Canyon.

The remains along this trail were from Tyuonyl Pueblo, which consisted of about 400 rooms in this area. 

The population is estimated to have been 4-500 people. They lived both in cliff dwellings and in structures built in front of the cliffs and nearby.  There are remnants of a large round kiva and many buildings.  Suprisingly, they and other Indians in the area had many domesticated turkeys – some of which were kept in some of the first floor rooms.  They raised corn, beans and squash and also stored these and other foods in some of the small rooms.

We climbed into some of the dwellings which were mostly small.  The rocks are volcanic tuff and rather soft, so some of the natural holes were enlarged.

Bandelier is in a valley with a stream that goes to the Rio Grande River, so while arid, there are quite a few trees.  Cottonwood are a pretty yellow now.  There are also willows and assorted pine including a few Pondersa pines (whose bark smells like Vanilla.) 

    There are a few pictographs.  The dwellings continue along the cliff for quite a ways.  Then we cross the stream and Greg and Gwynne continue on to an area called The Alcove.

This involved climbing many ladders to a cave which was quite large and impressive. What a climb!

Beth took a leisurely walk back to the parking area, spotting a few critters like these:  Abert Squirrel, with tall tufts at his ears,

and a tarantula.  The ranger later said the tarantulas are mating, so are out "looking for love".

It was nice that we arrived early this morning - before the shuttles started arriving,  because things were quite busy by the time we finished.

We watched a short film and looked at displays at the visitors center which was originally a lodge built by the CCC to replace one that had burned earlier. 

This whole area of New Mexico was a mass of volcanoes at one point.

Lunch of pb&J, grapes and chips before  dumping tanks,  refilling water and heading northeast toward Taos.  We saw several mule deer along the road, and later a pair of coyotes. Here's one.

We went through Los Alamos, which is where work on the first atomic bomb took place.  It is still active in nuclear research and experimentation.  Greg had to show an ID to enter the area and "vouch for" Gwynne and I.  Some very nice scenery in the area as we wound in and out of  mountains.

It got progressively colder and cloudier as we approach  Taos.  The Taos Pueblo  closes around 4:00 so we opt to do that first thing tomorrow instead of rushing.  The town seems to be majorly adobe buildings and homes, with many shops and restaurants.  

Beth finds a campsite which is a few miles into the mountains east of Taos, but as we start to gain in elevation we see several vehicles coming our way with more than a dusting of snow on them!  And then the snow flurries start!  Since we aren't really winterized, we turned around and Gwynne gets her first experience of spending the night at Walmart, at a slightly lower elevation.  Cold, but no snow.

First we find a nice restaurant called Casa de Valdez where Gwynne treats us to a lovely dinner.  She and Greg have some excellent ribs, while Beth has chicken.  Yum!  Pretty quiet night.

Tuesday, October 10

This morning we find a McDonalds for coffee and a biscuit before heading to the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We are in the second tour group of the day, about a dozen people led by Ceasario Chavez , a young man who was born and raised here in the Pueblo.  We begin in the church which was built in 1860 and is still used today.

He gives us a short history of the pueblo including domination by the Spanish who insisted the Indians become Christians.  There was a pueblo revolution in 1680 and the Spanish were driven out briefly and Catholicism rejected. There was much violence and death and the old church was destroyed along with many people including women and children who were sheltering there during the Mexican/American war.

 Eventually Catholicism and their own spiritualism were joined – for example, he says the statue of the Virgin Mary is also representative of Mother Earth,

There is no running water or electricity in the Pueblo, though some do use propane.  They carry water from Willow Creek which runs from the nearby mountains.

There were many hornos,  clay ovens, in the area which they use for baking as well as firing pottery. Many homes have fireplaces.

  This Pueblo’s people are known as the Red Willow people and their language is totally oral, passed by word-of-mouth.

Their population is about 2500 and they are a sovereign government with their own security,  courts, etc. including school till 8^th grade. (after which they must go to the public school).  There were about 30-40 families within the area visitors are allowed into.  Many areas including some with kivas and homes were off limits.  Their mixed feelings about outside visitors may be reflected by this sign:

The main pueblo building  is over 1,000 years old and is 3 stories

 high. with the entrance on the 3^rd floor, then ladders down to first story rooms.  (For security).  Many of the inside walls are painted white to brighten the otherwise pretty dark interiors.  Many of the names in the cemetery are Spanish because of intermarriage.  There are several veterans buried there who were either drafted or enlisted.

  The outside walls are replastered every 3 or 4 years.   They make their own adobe bricks, which include pieces of straw.  Some think that the Spanish thought there was gold in the bricks because of the way the sun  glints off of it.  The doors, which are outlined in bright colors to protect from evil spirits, are relatively new.  Entrance used to be by ladders to the 3rd floor, then ladders down to the other rooms.

The area of the pueblo is mostly dirt and dust with some trees near the water.  There were many dogs wandering around unattended.

After the tour, we were allowed to walk around in the area open to the public.  Many folks had set up shops in some of the dwellings, selling jewelry, drums, pottery and other goods that they make.  Gwynne bought some delicious fresh bread and a lovely necklace.

From here we head south through Carson National Forest, enjoying the scenery and several black and white magpies. 

We are looking for a campsite with showers and find Cochiti Lake a bit south of Sante Fe.    We enjoy the showers, though they could have been hotter, and have kielbassi for dinner and play some Catch-Phrase, a game that was a gift from Julie way back when she was interning downtown and living with us!