Today’s route was quite scenic in places as I drove the “low road” from Taos which follows the Rio Grande<\/em> through the southernmost part of its gorge and also passed through canyons on the way to Bandelier National Monument<\/em> which was my main target for the day.<\/p>\n Although the monument preserves many archeological sites the largest are in Frijoles Canyon<\/em> where Puebloan people lived from 1150 to 1600. The unusual aspect of this community is the presence of both cliff and rock built dwellings. The main pueblo was on the canyon floor and consisted of rock structures but all that remains are the foundations. There were also rock structures on the few ledges to be found on the almost vertical canyon wall.<\/p>\n The canyon was eroded from a 1,000 foot thick layer of ash deposited in a massive volcanic eruption over a million years ago and the rock it formed, called tuff<\/em>, is actually quite soft. Erosion resulted in a huge number of natural cavities in the canyon walls that the Puebloan people were easily able to enlarge into cliff dwellings.<\/p>\n Storms were forecast but I was able to complete both the Main Loop <\/em>and Alcove<\/em> trails with just 15 minutes to spare before the rain arrived. I was also lucky to have a break in the rain at my final stop, White Rock Overlook,<\/em> which has a great view of the Rio Grande valley.<\/p>\n A few more photos than usual today as I found Bandelier fascinating.<\/p>\n This photo shows both types of dwellings in the canyon. The rock structure is a reconstruction and the natural cavities in the canyon wall are obvious. The canyon wall was very steep and to access any cliff dwelling required ladders. Wednesday April 17, 2019 Road video and map – Taos to Santa Fe, NM Today’s route was quite scenic in places as I drove the “low road” from Taos which follows the Rio Grande through the southernmost part of its gorge and also passed through canyons on the way to Bandelier National Monument which was … Continue reading Bandelier National Monument<\/span> ![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-Two-Types.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-Ladder.jpg\")
\nThe natural cavities were combined and enlarged to form a useful sized dwelling.![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-interior.jpg\")
\nAlthough visitors were only able to access a few cliff dwellings you could see that almost all cavities had been used by the Puebloans.![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-painted.jpg\")
\nThe main pueblo was a large circle of stone buildings on the canyon floor.![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-Pueblo.jpg\")
\nAt the far end of the trail from the visitor center was the large Alcove House<\/em>. This is 140′ above the canyon floor; the three ladders you see form the upper part of the climb.![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-Alcove-Ladders.jpg\")
\nOnce there the residents had a great view.![\"Bandelier](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Bandelier-Alcove.jpg\")
\nThe panorama of the Rio Grande valley from the White Rock overlook was impressive despite the gloom. Click on the image for a larger version.![\"White](\"http:\/\/relativerest.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/White-Rock-Overlook-Panorame-Small.jpg\")
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