Cliff Dwellings - Saturday 2/25

Today was a much needed rest day as we drove our rental car to the Gila cliff dwellings.  We saw five young deer by the road just watching us on the way.  The road was steep and narrow, so we were glad that we decided not to bike it.

The dwellings were not like we expected.  They are high up in large caves with walls made of stones and mortar.  They originally had wooden roofs sealed with adobe.  Surprisingly, we were allowed inside some of the dwellings.  A few pictographs were still visible.

Bike miles:  0

The truth from Ruth:  The cliff dwellings were fascinating.  They were built by Native Americans over 700 years ago.  No one is sure why they lived there for only about 30 years.  They think it may have been due to drought conditions in the area.  It's neat that tourists are allowed to walk up inside the dwellings.  Today was a great day.