Gila Cliff Dwellings

August 25, 2007

So after the White Mountains we went to Silver City. From there we visited the Gila cliff dwellings, which are caves in the rocks where people of the Mogollon culture lived from the 1280s through the early 1300s. On the way there we saw lots of wildflowers

Some of the flowers had bees on them

And some had beetles

And some had grasshoppers

Once we got on the trail to hike up to the cliff dwellings, we found a black tailed rattlesnake that someone had tried to kill. Nearby was a female, obviously agitated. We took a couple photos and then left her alone.

This is the first view of the cliff dwellings from the trail



Here’s some more:

The blackness you can see on the ceiling is soot from the ancient cooking fires. Here’s a closeup:

There were a few petrographs. Here’s a man:



and here’s a snake:

This is the ladder we climbed back down to the trail. Did I mention I’m scared to death of heights? And ladders? But I did it. You can tell because I’m here telling you about it. Does this look as steep to you as it does to me?

We drove back to Silver City after we left the cliff dwellings. We saw more wildflowers



and more beetles





There was a storm in the distance, and this rainbow appeared in front of us. The light from the sunset behind us was so warm you couldn't see any blues or purples in the rainbow.



And so, unlike the rest of the world, we drove off into the ... rainbow.