A canyon, a volcano, and lots of fixer-uppers!.

November 10 (Friday)

We went to Walnut Grove National Monument this morning. Only about a ten minute drive from the campground. It gets it's name from the Arizona Black Walnut trees that grow in the bottom of the Canyon. Walnut Grove is a steep canyon with 800 year old Puebloan ruins lining the cliff faces.  The Sinaguan people lived here prior to 1200 AD. The canyon had water and the plains surrounding it supported agriculture. The cliff overhangs created natural roofs and one wall. The people built walls and subdivided houses into rooms. They burned fires in their homes for cooking and warmth. For reasons not fully understood the people began to abandon the village about 1250 AD.

Note the warning on the sign. 'Going down is optional. Returning is not.'

The interpretive trail takes you down into the Canyon using 273 steps on a 1.5 km paved trail. A beautiful hike past close to 25 structures. Unfortunately many of the 'houses' have been vandalized over the years so much of what you see has been restored. Along the rim is another 1 km paved trail that gives you views of the structures from a different angle. The Visitor Center also has Interpreters and a video presentation and of course……..gift shop!

We went down the I40 a few miles to the town of Winona. There is the Darling Mine that uses the cinder cone mountain to produce various volcanic products such as traction aids for icy roads, pumice and other products.

Our next stop was Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, about a half hour drive north of Walnut Grove. The main volcano is about a thousand feet high. The last eruption was only about a thousand years ago.  This has left lots of volcanic ash and lava over a pretty large area. There are three interpretive trails of varying length that take you in and around the lava fields. We chose a couple of the shorter ones and got a good view of things.

Just down the road is Wupatki National Monument. This park houses six different sites of Puebloan ruins. Prior to the latest volcanic eruption the people of Walnut Grove and Waputki farmed the surrounding areas. After the eruption and the subsequent lava and ash deposits the people devised new ways to farm. So for over a hundred years life flourished. Around 1250 the families moved away to other communities further afield. As with Walnut Grove structures the Wupatki buildings have been damaged and looted but through protection of the National Parks Service the artifacts and buildings have been restored and preserved.

A very busy day. This was Our View From Here……