Puye Cliff Dwellings, 2/7/12

So after having made it to Albuquerque, and sampling New Mexican cuisine, I was ready for some adventuring! My host Elizabeth and her bf Cory told me about the Puye Cliff Dwellings, and that they had some friends who worked out there. It definitely sounded like the type of thing I could not pass up, and just what I was looking for. I feel like Jim Carrey in Yes Man. You wanna do this? YES! How about that? YES!!!

This picture was taken at scenic stop on way in to Puye, looking west, the Jemez Mountains.

...looks can be deceiving.

This is the view looking east from the south side of the cliff, while climbing (above)

I've heard of this before, and seen pictures in textbooks, but nothing in a textbook, or even blog for that matter can describe what it's like to go there and see it... feel it.

So there is pottery everywhere. These things feel to me like they should be in a museum, but the tribe believes these things should remain undisturbed, so they don't excavate them.

I was also very fortunate that I went during the off season, and got a personal tour of the cliffs from a very smart, knowledgable descendant of the Puye.  She told me all about their history, and how their people have adapted into modern society. It's a really great story.

So far I have got to say that this has been the most incredible part of my trip. California's gonna have to work hard to top this!