This is part two of a three-part story about our 28th anniversary trip to New Mexico. Start with Taos.
For the second day in a row, we got up early and took a drive to see how people in the past lived in this area. This time we visited Bandelier National Monument. Bandelier is located in Frijoles Canyon about 30 minutes from Santa Fe. There are ancient Pueblo dwellings as well as rooms that were carved from rock into the sides of the cliffs. Ancestral Pueblo people lived there for approximately 400 years, from about 1150 to 1550 CE.
To access the different dwellings, there was a trail going along the bottom of the canyon. This was definitely out in the woods. There were signs everywhere warning of bear activity. I was definitely on alert the entire time we were out there. I was mentally prepared to make myself big and make a lot of noise, including yelling at any bears that got close. Luckily, it never came to that because, despite what the internet says, that seems like the last thing you should do.
The path along the canyon was basically a big loop. I think it was a total of around a mile and a half. Despite any concerns about the wildlife, it was actually a nice hike. Most of the trail ran beside a creek. Occasionally, it would veer up to the side of the cliff so that we could get a better look at the caves. There were wooden ladders that let you climb up a ways so that you could get inside the carved-out rooms. Eventually, at the far side of the loop, there was an additional path that led to Alcove House.
Alcove House is an area dug into the side of the canyon about 140 feet above the canyon floor. To get there, one must climb a series of wooden ladders and move along narrow paths that are channeled into the rock. Linda was not keen to accept this challenge. She offered to wait at the bottom while I took the risk of this particular challenge. After much encouraging, coaching, and pleading, she finally reluctantly agreed to make the climb with me. We made the climb without too much trouble.
The view from the top was outstanding. There was a reconstructed kiva at the center. It was a communal room used by the Pueblo people for rituals, meetings, and other activities. We took our time and collected our nerves for the climb back down. Going down was twice as scary as going up. While going up, you could see where you were going. The way down wasn't as easy. If you did look down, it was just a reminder of how high up you actually were. We did survive the descent, but Linda did slip once and scrape her knee. I kind of thought she was going to be mad at me for talking her into the climb, but she liked the experience and was happy she went.
Bandelier National Monument wasn't actually that far from Los Alamos. Because we were that close, we felt obligated to see where the bomb was created. I have mixed feelings about the Manhattan Project, but it is an important part of history that I wanted to go see. The only problem was that I didn't really sleep the night before. By the time we got to the Bradbury Science Museum, I was pretty tired, but I soldiered on.
The museum had all sorts of exhibits about the Manhattan Project. There were also artifacts, photographs, and models. They had replicas of the two bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man. We also sat down to watch a short historical film they show throughout the day. I didn't make it through, though. I fell asleep several times. Eventually, we went back to the car and took a nap before heading back to our hotel in Santa Fe.
It was a long day. We had a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant called The Shed and then called it a night. The next day was our 28th anniversary, and it was going to be a busy day as well.