Today we got up a bit early so that we could catch the first tour at the Puye Cliff Dwellings. It was about a 45 minute drive north from Santa Fe in the Santa Clara Pueblo. Puye (poo jay) overlooks the mountains and valleys of Northern New Mexico. It had rained over night so the air was clear and dry and a bit cool.
We climbed up to the cliff dwellings with a tour guide who was from the area and a native. We walked along the edge of the cliff and then climbed to the top of the mesa to find more evidence of the way people lived back in the early 1500's. It was quite interesting to hear how they lived and saw many shards and remnants of the pottery and things they used. The views from the top were beautiful. Some of the fall colors were starting to show.
We climbed back down to the area where the biggest ladder was in order for us to descend to the bottom of the cliff. As I swung my leg over to descend my whole body froze up. I couldn't do it. Karel was already down at the bottom and the other two ladies on the tour with us were behind me wondering if I was okay. I called down to the guide to ask if there was a different way down and she said NO!. Then she said that she could call another guide to meet me at the top of the mesa to bring me down in a vehicle. I said that I could not get on the ladder. So Karel came back up and waited with me while the other two ladies went down the ladder back to the visitor center. The guide had to come back up the ladder and escort Karel and I back to the top of the mesa. She had called in for help. The manager of the facility came in her SUV and brought us back down to the center. All was well!!! They talked about the recent sighting of large bear paws in the area and were concerned about an overly aggressive mountain lion and luckily they did not show up!
We thanked everyone for a wonderful morning and went back to Santa Fe.
We were meeting our friend Bebe for lunch at the Museum Cafe. It was great to see her again. And the food was delicious!! We then went to the Museum of International Folk Art. It was a nice museum. There were some interactive portions and I tried on a Caledonian robe.
After that we drove to Canyon Road which is home to the majority of art galleries and studios. We walked around and looked in a few to see what they had. It was a nice afternoon with a couple of quick rain showers that we dodged.
All in all - a nice day!! Tomorrow we are on the road again heading towards Sedona, AZ. This is about a 6-hour drive but it might be a bit longer because we are planning on finding some of Route 66!
Off to dinner - more tomorrow!!
Deb & Karel
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