Month: June 2025

Bandelier is a newer national monument located outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ancestral Pueblo people inhabited the canyon from approximately 1150 CE and 1550 CE. There are cliff dwellings as well as ground built dwellings. The people farmed the land and consumed small animals such as rabbits and squirrels. They left the land due to drought and the land was not able to support the people. We walked a little over a mile to and handicap accessible trails to see most of the main dwellings.

Canyon where the people lived

Dwelling built into the volcanic walls

Giant Kiva used by the Pueblo people for religious and other gatherings

I did climb the ladder leading to a small room

We took a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad. This is our second trip. The railroad was first opened in 1990 on old freight lines used for copper mining. Much of the railroad was hand built including several bridges and one 734 foot tunnel. We were able to see cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua. These were built approximately 1130 AD through 1300 AD. The only wildlife we saw today was a blue heron in the river adjacent to the tracks. The ride began in Clarkdale, Arizona, goes about 25 miles to Perkinsville, an abandoned town. The engines are then moved to the front of the train for the ride back. The engines were used by the Alaskan Railroad until the late 1980’s when the Verde Canyon Railroad took control of the engines.

EACH PAIR OF PASSENGER CARS HAS AN OUTSIDE VIEWING CAR

SLAG PILE AS A RESULT OF THE COPPER MINING

SINAGUA CLIFF DWELLING

BLUE HERON

OLD TELEGRAPH POLE

We left Las Vegas yesterday for the Distant Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona. We left Vegas several weeks later then we anticipated since NIRVC had to replace our shower door under warranty. The new door finally arrived last Thursday, they installed it Monday, and we left for Camp Verde Wednesday.

Distant Drums is on the Yavzapai-Apache reservation and is one of the nicer RV parks we have been too. We plan to do some sight seeing, visit my cousin Jason, and take another scenic trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad.