INDIAN CLIFF DWELLINGS NAT'L MONUMENT near SILVER CITY, NM

Wednesday, March 25th, we left Las Cruses with an extra day of clothes in case we would decide to stay overnight because of the distance to Silver City.  But in spite of the VERY CURVY roads, we did make the drive back in the same day.  The drive itself was beautiful and interesting!!

Wouldn't you love to live here?
What a view!!

We crossed the Continental Divide shortly after leaving
Las Cruses.

This area has a heavy history of open pit copper mining, Apache Indians, and Pueblo Indian people, Wildlife and native birding. It is also known as the Trail of the Mountain Spirits. The legendary Apache leader, Geronimo, was born nearby at the Gila River headwaters in the 1820's.

Much of the drive was through the Gila Nat'l Forest.

I could see how the Indians found caves conducive
to making many roomed dwellings.

Getting closer??
Over a three hour trip of 100 plus miles.

The only wild life that we saw while driving.
Gary did not spot them until after I told him that
one was not more then six - eight feet from the car.

And let the curves begin!! And BEGIN they did!!
We should have counted the curves!!
And Don, much worse than the ones we took you over!!

We were surprised to see that they run a sweeper
over miles and miles of this road!!

And one of many switch-backs!!

Many valleys!!

Wonder where he is going?

Ah-h, same place we are!!

We arrived before noon.

The dwellings are on the back side of this cliff, facing the south for the sun's heat. The ancient Puebloan people who built these cliff dwellings belonged to a larger tradition that included part of what is now Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico. They built their dwellings in these caves with rock, mortar and timber felled between 1276 - 1287. The pottery found in the caves indicate that they came from the Tularosa River region to the north. They moved on by about the 1300's.
More than 40 sites are protected within the 533 acres of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. These include pit houses to surface pueblos. There are SIX caves in this set of dwellings. The Gila River was a source of water for the area and the land was fertile for many crops and native wildlife. But migration appears to be one way to cope with the cycles of droughts common in the southwest.

The beginning of the climb was gradual and not
much obstacles.

First view of the dwellings with many feet to climb yet!!

This was the kind of walk to return, but a
much longer walk with many rocks on the path.

 

Hm-m-m, Gary wondered where the Indians got the bolts!!

Last leg of the return.

There was an eighteen step ladder to get into one of the dwellings!

It was a mile and a half walk, round trip.  Gary said that IN was easier than OUT.  I wimped out of the trip and Gary said I would never have made it.  I knew!!  It would have been good exercise, but too hard on the knees and one hip. Gary admitted that it was almost too much for him also.

The trip back, we drove a few different roads, so it was not quite as long a drive of curves.  What a drive!!
Our next trip is to Carlsbad Caverns this next week a different direction out of Las Cruces. So we are looking forward to that also.  So stay tuned!!