8/31/18 Storms and Rainbow

Yesterday afternoon storm clouds started rolling in.

Suddenly I looked at the cliffs to the west and saw this amazing rainbow!

The rainbow wasn't visible for very long, but I was very excited to see it!

This morning the sky was clear!

8/30/18 Sheep and My Drive to Volunteering

These sheep live in the pasture next to my campsite. 

Most of the sheep have white bodies and black heads. Like this one, some of them have not finished shedding their winter coat.

There are 15 female and one male sheep in this herd. They are raised for their meat, not their wool. During the day, they are in the pasture next to my campsite, but at night they go into a pen so they are safe from predators.

This is the road from the campground to the visitor center. It is relatively straight and easy to drive. It takes me about  10 minutes to drive from my campsite to the visitor center.

The road passes through this beautiful meadow!

From the road, I can see the cliffs. Today, I met Rita. She is in charge of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. She is really smart and knows a lot about the geology, biology and archeology of this area. I have a lot to learn!

8/28/18 Gila Hot Springs Ranch and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument , NM

This morning the moon was setting as the sun rose!

The moon was full but there were still lots of stars visible in the night sky!

This sign is across from the campground. It provides information about the Apache tribes who once inhabited this area.

There's a woman from northern New Mexico living at the campground in her tiny house! She's been living in the campground in her tiny house for almost a year!

This is Del's trailer. She's about 80 years old and has been living in this trailer in the campground for a long time. She takes care of park service volunteers like me.

This is my campsite. 

This is the road in the campground. There are seventeen campsites, but right now only about six are occupied. Out of those six, four of the campers have been living here for more than a year!  At the very end of the road, you can see a red barn-like building. That is what they call the "lodge" because there are two 'apartments' on the first floor, and one on the second floor that people can rent out.

In the campground there is a cool building that has two restrooms with showers and this jacuzzi! I used it twice already! The water is not chlorinated, but comes from natural hot springs that are 103 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see, the jacuzzi is open to the air, so last night as I laid in it, I was able to watch the stars!

The drive from Gila Hot Springs Ranch to the visitor center at Gila Cliff Dwellings takes about ten minutes on a nice calm stretch of road. The view from the car is stunning!

The entrance sign to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

This raven was perched on top of a  fifteen feet tall yucca plant outside the visitor center.

This plaque honoring Geronimo is outside the visitor center. Geronimo was born near the headwaters of the Gila River.

The visitor center and administration building where I will be volunteering for the next few months.

This bridge over the Gila River is at the beginning of the trail to the cliff dwellings.

You can't see them from here, but at the top of those cliffs is where the dwellings are!

The dwellings are inside those big cave-like openings in the cliff face.

The trail to the dwellings is rugged and steep.

Another view of the openings in the cliffs where the dwellings are.

Inside the cave-like openings is evidence of the people who once inhabited this area. In this photo you can see a low brick wall and depressions carved into the cave floor.

See the wall made of mud bricks and mortar on the left side of the picture! Who made those bricks and that wall?

See the brick wall with the t-like opening and the long tree trucks sticking out? That t-like opening was a door and those tree trucks held up the ceiling in that dwelling.

Here's another view of the t-like door. No one is really sure why the doors were made that way.

This cactus is growing on the cliff in front of the dwellings. It has pink cactus fruit on it. Some people use the fruit to make jelly. I hope I have the chance to taste it!

This ladder leads to a view of a large room. The rock walls are white and cream colored, but the ceiling of this room was black from the smoke of many years of cooking over wood fires.

The view from inside a dwelling.

Another view from the inside looking out.

This trail leads back to the trailhead.

It's easy to see the Gila River valley from the trail.

There are many switchbacks like this going up the trail to the cliff dwellings and returning to the trailhead from the cliff dwellings!

The flowers and view are worth the steep climb!

Today I was given this hat and my National Park Service name tag. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to take the online course in defensive driving required by the park service.

8/27/18 Gila Hot Springs Ranch, New Mexico

I drove the last 68 miles from Silver City to Gila Hot Springs Ranch where I will be staying for the next few months today! The drive was full of gorgeous scenery so I didn't really mind that it took over 2 hours! In all since leaving Urbana, I have driven 2,220 miles! 

There is ancient volcanic activity here too, but I haven't had any phone service since leaving Silver City. 

Today's drive was through a very mountainous region so there were lots of hairpin turns and few guardrails.

Several deer were feeding on the side of the road. You might be able to see this one, it's the brown dot standing on the side of the road. I was happy that at least this road had a center stripe and white lines to mark the edge of the road.

I stopped to see Lake Roberts. 

Flowers lined the edge of the lake.

Unfortunately, I brought my bike, but left my kayak at home!

I don't know the name of this orange flower, but it sure is beautiful! (I'm sure I'll learn the names of the flowers soon.)

These purple flowers were really beautiful too! 

 

Lake Roberts with the dam that created it in the background. 

I'm camping near Doc's Store where I can use their wi-fi, but look at all the hummingbirds feeding here!

I brought a hummingbird feeder to put out at my campsite because I read there are four different species of hummingbirds that live and migrate through this area. There were so many hummingbirds at the feeders at Doc's that I could hear their wings beating and the little squeaky noises they make!

Doc's Store is like a gift shop, grocery store and restaurant all in one! I'm glad they have free wi-fi!

The view from Doc's Store.

I'll send photos of my campsite another day, but this is the valley where I will be living for the next few months. I hear there are wolves and coyotes here. I hope to hear them tonight!