With "only" a month or so to explore before we head back to Arizona, we got out a map and looked to see where we could go that we had never been, but wouldn't be too far away. Glenwood Springs, CO fit the bill, so that’s where we headed.
In order to avoid the huge mountains, we took the long way there, which took us through Albuquerque NM, and Cortez CO. It seems like there is always something to look at while driving around in the southwest. Maybe because there are so few trees, we can see for miles and miles.
It always amazes me to see these kinds of things- it looks as if the sand is being worn away, revealing the monolith enclosed within it.
We had been through here before when we visited Mesa Verde National Park, but there was still plenty we hadn't seen, so we booked two nights in Cortez.
The lady at the Visitor Center was very helpful and mapped out a full day of exploring for us.
We packed a lunch and headed towards Canyon of the Ancients National Monument....with our first stop being Hovenweep.
Hovenweep was designated a National Monument in 1923, with the purpose of preserving some of the best ancient puebloan masonry in existence today.
The settlement we explored involved a two mile hike along a ridge, with remnants of ancient dwellings sitting both atop the ridge, and down below in the canyon.
Ancestral Puebloans moved to this area around the year 700, and moved on to new places in about the year 1230. No one knows exactly why they left, although there are several theories.
While here, they farmed, using a terrace method, planting crops down the sides of the canyon.
It was already getting warm when we started our two mile hike, so we were happy when the sky started dripping. The flashes of lightning and crackle of thunder didn't thrill us, but we survived it.
Looking across the canyon it was amazing to see just how many buildings there were in this small area.
These Twin Towers, although they maybe don't look like much, have a total of 16 interior rooms.
We were hoping to visit the Holly Tower area as well, but the ranger warned us that the road resembled a swimming pool after the recent rains. We went as far as we could, although one of us was convinced we could make it through to the other side with no problem.
Back on the paved road we made our way to Lowry Pueblo, where we had a picnic lunch before exploring the kivas. Kivas are special buildings that were used for ceremonies and community activities.
Lowry is known for the murals that were painted on the interior walls, which had 15 coats of plaster. Unfortunately, all attempts to preserve the murals failed.
Continuing on the loop road, our last stop of the day was the Anasazi Heritage Center. When nearby McPhee reservoir was created, artifacts were removed before it was filled with water, and they are housed at the heritage center.
I have been interested in dendrochronology since i was in 5th grade and at environmental science camp. While there, we drilled into a tree, and counted the rings to find out how old it was.
When comparing the rings of an older tree and a younger tree, the ring patterns for the overlapping years are the same on both trees, allowing scientists to establish a timeline.
Several wood beams from this area were sent off to the dendrochronology lab in Tucson where they have a master chart of tree rings, with known dates. Pretty cool.
