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.