Wes and Jan see the US Wanderings and Side Trips

Anasazi Heritage Center Sep 20, 2008

The Anasazi Heritage Center was our goal today. This has been the highlight of our trip so far. A lot of time and effort has gone into this center. It not only educates people on the Indian culture, but gives an in depth view into the discovery, research and preservation of the Indian ruins in the southwest. We spent several hours here. The volunteers are very well informed and were able to help us plan a trip to see the many Pueblos and ruins that cover this area.

With our map in hand, we began our trip with a visit to the Lowry Pueblo, about a 30 minute drive through the country on gravel roads. We found the surrounding area very interesting. There is a lot of red dirt here along with irrigation. It appears that wheat is grown, as well as hay, alfalfa, and sunflowers. We didn't see much livestock, but assume they must be around somewhere because of the enormous amounts of hay and the huge hay barns. Much of this government land is open range, so maybe they still needed to be rounded up for the winter. We did see a few sheep, goats, llamas and even a couple of camels. The deer are numerous and we have seen them everywhere.

The Lowry Pueblo is partially covered by a modern roof to protect the ruins from further decay. It includes a Great Kiva, 47 feet in diameter, one of the largest found in this area.

All of these Pueblos and ruins are located on what is known as the Great Sage Plain, 1500 square miles of high, dry, rolling plateau, deeply scored by canyons. This area contains the highest recorded density of prehistoric and historic sites in North America.

It was interesting to me to hear the interviews with the Indian people living in this area today. They do not think the Anasazi people have disappeared and/or abandoned the "ruins", they have just moved out onto the plains to improve their farming practices and to be able to feed and house their increasing population. All of these pueblos and ruins are considered sacred places. One quote "Once a sacred place has been established, it always remains sacred". They believe upon entering a ruin, you should thank the ancestors or spirits for the welcome, and when leaving, you should thank them for allowing you to visit that day.

We next drove to Painted Hand Pueblo. If you blink, you will miss the sign. We drove on a dirt and rock (not gravel) road to the trail head. Again, we almost missed the little sign. We finally just parked the truck and walked, the road was so rough. About 1/4 mile down the trail was the Pueblo. Very well preserved. We had a good view point from the rim of the canyon, and we had to whole place to ourselves. We spent some time just enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty of the place.

And then on to Hovenweep National Monument. It is also known as the Little Ruin Canyon. There is a 2 mile trail around the rim of the canyon where you can see 10 different ruins. There are 5 or 6 that can be seen from the first viewpoint just 300 yards from the visitors center. It was late in the day and so we did not have time to do the hike, but I did get some photos of the ones we could see. I encourage you to visit this location in the morning if you want good photos. Most ruins were to the west of us from the viewpoint and so the setting sun was right in our eyes. Morning sun would be better. We enjoyed this place and would like to return when we can do the entire route.

We finished up our loop with a drive through McElmo Canyon as suggested by the volunteer who helped us with our plan. It is like a little oasis in this place of dry deserts and canyons. There is a small river running through the bottom and lots of small farms and wineries. Closer to Cortez, of course, people have just built their homes along the canyon rim. This canyon helps you visualize how the early tribes lived with their homes built up on the canyon walls for protection and used the canyon floor for farming and hunting. A nice drive, but don't be in a hurry. It is two lane very curvy drive.

We returned to our home after driving 160 miles today. It was almost dark and we were treated to a nice sunset over the peaks to the west of us. The scrub oak here is glorious. It has turned some of the mountainsides bright red. The Aspens are not turning yet, but should be in the next week or so.