Petroglyphs, White Sands National Monument & Gila Cliff Dwellings

I normally don't put so many photos in one post, but we didn't have internet for 6 days, so I got a few days behind.  The Three Rivers Petroglyphs (engravings on rock) were at a Bureau of Land Management site about 50 miles north of Alamogordo in south central New Mexico.  There are about 21,000 petroglyphs scattered over a 50 acre area and were done by the Jornada Mollogon people between 900 and 1400 AD.  White Sands National Monument is 15 miles west of Alamogordo.  It is 275 sq. miles of gypsum, not sand, so it is white, not tan like sand.  If you go on a serious hike, they tell you to take a good map, a compass, plenty of water and let someone know where you are going,  I took a short hike and almost got disoriented; all the dunes look alike, so I could see how easily one can get lost. The Gila Cliff Dwellings were also created by a group of Mollogon people. They only lived in them for about 25 years: 1275 to 1300.  No one knows why they left or where they went.  There are 46 rooms that housed between 10 to 15 families.

Coming over the Sacremento Mtns. to Alamogordo, New Mexico. In the background is White Sands National Monument (photos further down) and Alamogordo just in front of it. 

One of the petroglyphs at Three Rivers. No one is sure what this circle represents - it's about 8" across.

Sierra Blanca rises 12,003' (tallest peak just to right of center). Taken from the petroglyph trail.

A bighorn sheep pierced with 3 arrows.  This is supposed to be the most frequently photographed petroglyph.

There are at least 6 petroglyphs on this rock.  The face at the bottom is about 10" across.
Just on the other side of the background mountains, about 30 miles away, is the Trinity Site. That is where they denonated the first atomic bomb. The site is open to the public just 2 days a year: April 1st & Oct. 1st.

 On the way back from Three Rivers was apistachio farm, alongwith the world's largest pistachio.  I just had to have my photo taken in front of my favorite nut !!

A small portion of the 12,000 tree pistachio farm.  They are about 10' to 12' tall.

White Sands National Monument. The tallest dune in the Monument is 60' high.

Sierra Blanca in the background, about 50 miles away.

Caroline, the White Sands nomad !

'Sleighing'  down one of the dunes on a plastic disc.

They seem to go on forever.

Passed the Great Continental Divide on the way to the cliff dwellings.

The road to the cliff dwellings also took us high enough in the Mogollon Mtns. where there was still quite a bit of snow.

Fantastic views along the way.



Here we are !

The Gila River runs through the Monument.

First glimpse of the cliff dwellings.

Posing in front of one.

The 'roof' in all of them are black from the fires made by all the inhabitants of the caves.

An inside view.

I doubt if the Mogollon people cared, but it is definitely 'a room with a view.'

 One of the stairs leadingto the dwelling.

Not bad for someone who doesn't like going up (or down) a ladder.
The person in the upper center of the photo gives you an idea of the size of the dwellings.

Another outside view.

A pictograph near the dwellings. A pictograph is a painting on a rock.