8/23 - 24/18 Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

About 30 miles south of the Sand Dunes, I entered New Mexico for the first time, so I added it to the map on my trailer along with a sticker from Bandelier National Monument. 

There is a shuttle that visitors take to the Visitor Center at Bandelier, but campers are allowed to drive to the campground in the park. As you can see my campsite was well shaded and large. I had no trouble getting a campsite even though I didn't have reservations.

These huge pine trees surrounded me at the campground!

I saw a hummingbird here too! I can't wait to get to the campground at Gila Hot Springs Ranch so I can put my hummingbird feeder out!

The Frijoles Valley at Bandelier National Monument.

The Ancestral Pueblo Peoples built buildings in the soft volcanic rocky cliffs and made adobe to build buildings along the cliff face.

I took a two mile hike from the campground to the Visitor Center. As I came down the cliff, I could see the circular "village" of more than 400 rooms and a kiva (spiritual/ceremonial gathering place.) The rooms were small, about four feet by six feet. Some were used for houses, but others were used to store food.

I could see two holes in the soft volcanic rock wall as I came down the cliff face.

I saw several little lizards like this one on my hike. They can run really fast and climb up vertical rock walls without falling off!

A ladder leads to the room in the cliff face. The people enlarged a little cave for their house and built an adobe doorway.

This adobe house uses the cliff face as the back wall. It's actually a two-story house with a flat roof on which people did their daily chores.

Looking up at the cliff face from the bottom of the canyon.

This sign was posted outside the Visitor Center. I knew that 2018 was designated as the 'Year of the Bird,' but I didn't know so many of the birds we see in Illinois also migrate through this area. For example, I was surprised to see Sandhill Cranes on this list.