On Sunday 5/13 we took a loop ride on the bike ride around the mountains (see Ears A Poppin' blog). On that trip we had intended to check out Bandelier National Monument and possibly do some hiking. Unfortunately, both of us forgot our National Parks Senior Passes. We promised ourselves that we would return before we left Santa Fe.
Today was the day. We drove the truck (uncooperative weather) north on SR 285,
passed the iconic Camel Rock,
and onto CR4 to the monument.
Last time we were here we could have driven right into the area all the way to the Visitors Center, but missed that opportunity. From mid May through September, the Monument requires most visitors (excepting physically impaired people and tent campers) to stop in the town of White Rock at the Visitor Center Complex and take a shuttle which runs every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour. In addition to the Visitors Center, the complex includes a large, covered seating area for shuttle loading and unloading (across the drive where I was standing to take this shot), and a small electric-only rv parking lot.
We arrived in time to miss the 11 am shuttle. Duane passed the time by strolling around the rv park and chatting to some campers. I thought he looked as if he had an appendage sticking out of his stomach.
The shuttle arrived in due time and took us on a 20 minute ride to the parking lot for the Frey Trail trail head. At that point the shuttle blew a tire. We had the option to wait for the tire to be replaced (30-60 minutes), or continue on foot along the trail. About half of the shuttle passengers decided to start hiking.
The trail received its name from the people who moved to the area to operate the Lodge of the Ten Elders or The Ranch Place as it was commonly called. The trail along the mesa top and down the side of Frijoles (beans) Canyon was the only way in or out and the only way to receive supplies.
The walk was fairly easy and gave us spectacular views.
After about a mile we our downward zigzag. That small white circle at the base of the cliff is where we ended up. At that point we turned back on the trail
to access that circle of rocks at the tree line. That is the remains of pueblo
which probably looked a lot like this model. Those circles represent kivas (meditation areas. The kivas are underground, and the little sticks are ladders giving access through the roofs. The buildings have no windows or doors. Those dots on the roofs are access holes also.
At the bottom of the canyon the trail took us through the partial reconstruction of the village. These walls belong to the village of Tyuonyi (QU weh nee), one of several large pueblos in the canyon. It is only one of several large pueblos located within Bandelier. The village, one and two stories high, contained about 400 rooms and housed about 100 people. A central plaza contained three kivas. Access to the village was through a single ground-level opening. Most of the ground-floor rooms would have been used for food storage. Other rooms have have sheltered turkeys, raised for their feathers.
This excavated kiva looks like a swimming pool.
We came down this mesa to the canyon bottom.
From the pueblo we continued walking for about 1/2 mile to the visitors center. After the CCC built a road into the canyon, they built the Frijoles Canyon Lodge and hired Mrs. Frey to run it. The other lodge was torn down.
In the visitors center we showed our parks passes and went to the book store (on the right) to pay for a trail map/information booklet and to stamp my National Parks Passport. We paid for the booklet and didn't give the passport another thought until we were back on the shuttle on our way out of the canyon. We went out the front to a shaded picnic area to eat our lunch and and decide which hike we wanted to take.
Two miles wasn't enough!
Louise and Duane
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