Day 4 - Bandelier National Park and Santa Fe

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Today I got to be a passenger as Uncle Bill did all the driving. We headed Northwest of Albuquerque, initially on the same highway we drove in on, for our 4th National Park experience of this trip. Bandelier National Park is another site where very old dwellings of ancestral Puebloans were discovered during the 20th century. Bill and Marcia had been there once years ago and they were happy to go again. The drive was longer than I expected, but we had plenty of time to explore everything of interest. (I also was reminded that I'm likely to get a little car sick when I'm not the driver or front passenger...the very curvy roads prompted me to request a seat change.) One might think that exploring ancient ruins would get old, but so far we've found that there are unique features and stories that make each a worthwhile visit. We plan to visit at least one more ancient ruins site on Monday before we get to the Grand Canyon.

Bandelier was actually one of the later establishments in this region, comparatively. Native people lived there between 1100 and 1550 so they weren't nearly as primitive as some other cultures we've explored. Their cliff dwellings share some similarities with those at Mesa Verde, but today we were excited to be able to view many different petroglyphs that had been carved into the side of the cliffs all those years ago. We also got to climb simple wooden ladders to explore some of the cave dwellings and a below ground kiva where spiritual ceremonies were held. That was Ethan's favorite part of the experience - the ladder climbing. The finale was a 140 ft. vertical ascent via 4 different ladders and some stone stair steps to "Alcove House" where one of the kivas remains. Mom and Marcia stayed below for that part while Ethan, Bill, and I got an extra workout and demonstrated some fearlessness. (There was one section of ladder where I even held on a little tighter. I was proud of Ethan for going the whole way.)

We didn't have to retrace our route to Bandelier but instead went east to Santa Fe where we found a restaurant that served decent Mexican food. You'd think a place named Santa Fe would be loaded with Mexican fare, but it's a pretty diverse place and we had to really search to find Mexican food. In fact, Marcia and Bill say it's nickname is "the city different" because they do things their own way. We saw several interesting characters while wandering to view the beautiful adobe structures. Then we drove home to Sandia Park along the stretch of highway called the Turquoise Trail. Initially I had circled it as a destination to consider during our trip but I realized tonight that it's not too exciting.

Tomorrow we'll take in a museum or two and probably visit with Grandma again. It will probably be one of our least adventurous days. But a change of pace will be fine.

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