Gila Cliff Dwellings

Catching up after taking a week off to go back to Madison to see the kids.  Before I left, Joe, Kirk and I went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings which are west of here. It took us almost 3 hours to get there- once we got into the Gila wilderness the roads were winding up the mountain roads-lots of switchbacks- it was gorgeous!  We went through Emory Pass which was about 8000 ft. elevation.

We got to the national park and ate our bag lunch before going into the cliff dwellings.  Nancy stayed back with the dogs because she can't handle much hiking with her new knee yet.  We crossed the Gila River and went through a lush canyon on our way up to the cliffs.  There were several volunteers at the top to answer questions about the dwellings, which were very interesting.  The people who used them lived there in the late 1200s and only stayed about 25 years before moving on. 

First view of the cliff dwellings from the trail

Notice the black soot on the ceilings

We were able to climb up into the dwellings to get a closer look.

On the way back to Elephant Butte we missed our turn and ended up going through Silver City.  There is a HUGE copper mine (Santa Rita mine) which has been in operation for over 100 years. I think it was at least 10 miles long.

My week with Anna was great- she is really growing up- and talking so much! She understands a lot of words and is very adamant about what she does and doesn't like.  We went to a kids expo in Madison which was lots of fun- crafts, petting zoo, kid entertainment, etc. I got to babysit for three days so we really had a chance to bond.  She kept me busy all day but I was happy that she also napped every afternoon! She's such a sweetie! The day I left Madison they got 6 inches of heavy wet snow.  Was very anxious to get back down south where it's been in the 70's and 80's!  We will be leaving here by the end of March and then heading east towards home with several stops planned on the way.