We hadn't counted on the trip to the bottom of Walnut Canyon to see the cliff dwelling ruins. You are at 6950 feet of altitude at the rim of the canyon and descend on the Island Trail which passes through 25 of the cliff dwelling rooms.
The trail has sheer drops so that you can view some of the dwellings made from shallow caves eroded out of the limestone walls.
To form walls, the builders gathered limestone rocks, shaped them roughly, then cemented them together with a gold-colored clay found in deposits elsewhere in the canyon.
There are more than 240 steps in the 185 drop to the bottom --
Wooden beams reinforced the doorways and finally the walls were plastered with clay inside and out.
The dwellings were heavily looted and vandalized before the canyon received the protected status of a National Monument.
Once we returned again to the top of the canyon (a good hour's trip), we followed Highway 89 up the road to the next National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano.
Now off-limits to climbers, the volcano started erupting sometime between 1040 and 1100 and formed this cinder cone --
We were pretty exhausted by the time we finished the loop and made it back to Flagstaff. We picked up some take-out at Micky D's and headed back to Auntie Violet. I think we'll stay home tomorrow!
The dwellings were heavily looted and vandalized before the canyon received the protected status of a National Monument.
Once we returned again to the top of the canyon (a good hour's trip), we followed Highway 89 up the road to the next National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano.
Now off-limits to climbers, the volcano started erupting sometime between 1040 and 1100 and formed this cinder cone --
The Bonito Lava beds surround the area around the mountain where lava oozed out of a vent on the side of the volcano.
Then on up the road to the pueblo ruins at Wukoki --
The ruins of this three-story pueblo were occupied during the 1100s, but by 1250 it stood empty.
By the time we got up the road a bit further to Lomaki Pueblo ruins, it was beginning to get dark.
This pueblo was built out of sandstone blocks in the same area. These are just a couple of the many abandoned ruins in the Antelope Prairie of the Wupatki National Monument.
Then on up the road to the pueblo ruins at Wukoki --
The ruins of this three-story pueblo were occupied during the 1100s, but by 1250 it stood empty.
By the time we got up the road a bit further to Lomaki Pueblo ruins, it was beginning to get dark.
This pueblo was built out of sandstone blocks in the same area. These are just a couple of the many abandoned ruins in the Antelope Prairie of the Wupatki National Monument.
We were pretty exhausted by the time we finished the loop and made it back to Flagstaff. We picked up some take-out at Micky D's and headed back to Auntie Violet. I think we'll stay home tomorrow!
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