Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico

I guess I feel on some subconscious level that I would always get here someday. I have a photographic poster on my wall entitled Places of Power that was taken at the Gila Cliff Dwellings Caves. I don’t think of it as sacred ground like I do say, Gettysburg or Arlington or Ground Zero. But calling it a place of power is not a mistake. The place has an unusual history and to be in the presence of the evidence that a people seven hundred years ago transformed these caves into dwellings gives it an inspiring aura. It may be the ultimate, early, home improvement.

By entitling this post Worth the Trip 2, I’m once again referring to the time and effort it takes to experience this place. It is forty seven miles north of Silver City. Doesn’t sound too bad but it’s a trip that takes every bit of two hours. It’s the kind of mountain road I’ve come to love.

All things being equal, I would choose to drive it without pulling a trailer, but I was hoping to stay somewhere up near the monument area.

The second part of the trip, the walk up, is not as taxing as Carlsbad but it is a hike that rises 750 feet above the floor of the canyon that is already close to six thousand feet in elevation. It’s the kind of hike that flatlanders feel, but the reward is worth the effort. Bring good shoes and if you like the extra stability of a walking stick you’ll be glad you brought it.

The photo of this tiny waterfall I took mostly to give props to my son who has done a whole shows worth of waterfall photos from Minnesota and New England.  You can see them at blainewilliamvolden.com                                                                                                Click on Projects and then Freshwater.

This is the view across the canyon from the caves.  It is believed the people who lived here were experienced growers and grew corn, squash, and beans up on the mesa.  Although it doesn’t seem far away, a trip down from the caves and back up to the mesa probably took most of a morning.

I made two trips up to the caves, one in the afternoon and the other the next morning.  I wanted to see it and take some pictures in two different light conditions.  By the way, a number of you have asked me about this;  All of my pictures have been taken, and in some cases edited, with my iPhone 5s.

When I got back to camp after an evening of glassing the hillsides for critters, my neighbors were there to greet me.