We checked into the campground, where we had our pick of the 267 sites (ok, three or four were taken). The whole place seemed pretty deserted, and several sites looked like they'd been left in a hurry before the storms blew in. We graciously scavenged abandoned firewood from a couple sites for our fire pit. After waiting out the weather for a bit in the car, we jumped out at the first break, set up the tent, and unloaded our gear. Immediately after pounding in the last tent stake, the rain picked back up. Pretty good timing!
While we were mostly hunkered down for the first day, the second day brought blue skies and allowed us to explore the area a bit. We started off with a quick hike, then a 10am tour of the Balcony House.
View from our morning hike: Balcony House tucked under the mesa top
The tour starts up at the mesa top above the cliff dwelling. From there, our ranger gave us a safety briefing and we descended down several flights of stairs (just out of view to the right of the image above). The tour group walked along a small ledge to a large, 3-story ladder leading to the dwelling. The ranger led us through the various structures, pointing out important structures like the kivas, large circular rooms dug into the floor, the various original wooden balconies around the dwelling, and the mysterious T-shaped windows.
Even though there are some 4,000 archeological sites across the park (most closed to the public and undisturbed), the ranger stressed how little we understand about the Pueblo society, and how important it is to learn from the sites we have excavated. What we do know is that the Pueblo people who used to live here at one point outnumbered the number of people who currently live in the area today. They were farmers, planting crops on the mesa tops where there was rich soil, and then living in large complexes in nearby villages. At some point, and no one is quite sure why, certain groups started to make homes in the cliffs themselves, right below the mesa top.
The ranger told us that the Native American groups that once lived here would have preferred to leave the site un-touched and let the natural elements dismantle it. Now that it has been disturbed, he said the best way to make peace with the space was to use it to educate the public about the people who once lived here. He also stressed the importance of conservation, since it is believed that the cliff dwellers abandoned these homes in the 13th century because many resources had vanished.
After touring the main part of the Balcony House, the ranger led us through what used to be the only entrance into the structure: a small tunnel in the rock face. The tunnel is about 18 inches wide and at various points, only tall enough for a person to crawl through on hands and knees. Once we made it through the tunnel, we climbed a few more ladders and ended up back at the mesa top.
Our guide and the tour at the Balcony House
Original ~800 year old masonry and timbers in the Balcony House
Masonry detail at the Balcony House
After our tour of the Balcony House, we headed to the museum to learn a bit more about the area and the people who used to live here. Amazingly, archeologists have been able to precisely date the stages of development in the various ruins through the wood timbers that are still in tact in the structures. In a method known as dendrochronology, core samples are taken of the wood, and then the ring patterns are matched up against a master pattern of rings. By lining up the rings against the master pattern, they can tell exactly what year the tree started growing, and exactly what year it was cut down. They can also tell what the rainfall was like for each year. This technique has yielded much more accurate dating than typical carbon dating, as well as invaluable insights into what the climate (and crop yields) would have been like during each year of construction.
After the museum we explored some additional cliff dwellings and pit houses that didn't require a guide. The park's most famous and largest cliff dwelling, Cliff Palace, was closed for renovations, but we still got to see it from a nearby overlook.
Cliff Palace
Kiva in the Spruce Tree House
Spruce Tree House
Spruce Tree House
Cool lizard!
The full set of photos can be seen here: Flickr
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