Gila National Cliff Dwellings

This happens to be where the fire is raging in New Mexico. We have spent many months in this area and the Gila National Cliff Dwellings is one of our favorite hiking trails. I understand this whole area is closed down. We hope to make a return visit someday soon.

Oh what a hike

When you start out your day thinking you are going to do one thing and THEN you end up driving over a 100 miles and hiking about five miles.

We found the end of the road and at the end of that road was the Gila (pronounce the G like an H) Cliff Dwellings. Hard to believe it's a National Park and they haven't screwed it up. However after talking with the Rangers there as well as the volunteers no government funds have been put into this particular park for the past ten years. WTH!!!

Back to the Cliffs, it's a fascinating place and when you think about how the American Indians that lived in those cliffs, on the side of a mountain, how they got up there is way beyond me. I did and I wore sneakers. And ya know they did it barefoot most of the time. And of course a spring from the Gila River was at the base of the cliff's.

See those black streaks running down the side of the cliffs? Well those markings are everywhere and the really, really black streaks are called Desert Varnish.

The views were stunning.....so I am going to post some snaps just so y'all can see.

I'll also post some photos over on my flickr site.

That's Mr Doodles leading the way.

And at the end on the trek we look up to see the beginning of this stunner.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19571562@N00/


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