We took two guided tours (because they won't let you go by yourself) to the cliff dwellings at Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Cliff Palace is much bigger and easier to see but Balcony House was my favorite because we got to climb in an out of the ruins. Getting to both sites involved lots of climbing of stairs and ladders and some tight spots crawling through the rock. Balcony House had one 30 foot ladder right on the edge of the cliff...scary!! These dwellings are ruins of the Ancestrial Puebloans from around 1200 ad...before there were any other settlers in the US. Can you believe they lasted that long?
Cliff Palace -
Balcony House -
After our tours, we decided that we had seen enough ruins and it was time to move on. I have a goal of visiting all fifty states and New Mexico and Arizona were two that I had never been to. We took care of that real quick at a stop at Four Corners where we also did some shopping...on the New Mexico side. (This is where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah all come together in one spot. The only spot in the US where four states touch at corners).
Then it was a long drive across the desert and the reservation to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page Arizona...this is where we spent the night on the beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment