cliff dwelling

     Today I took the scenic route from Sedona to Flagstaff. It's about a 30 minute drive through the mountains of Arizona. I rolled the windows down and listened to NPR the whole way. I was in heaven. I decided to go to the Walnut Canyon National Monument, which is the ancient home of the Sinagua Indians. The Sinaguas lived in cliff dwellings in the canyon and I got to see some of the preserved ancient ruins. I love learning about Native American culture, so I was curious to see how these people lived on the edge of a cliff.

     As I descended the 240 steps into the canyon I immediately began to sweat. big time. The first reason is that Flagstaff's elevation is 7,000 ft., which means there is 23% less oxygen in the air than I am used to at sea level. I thought I was in fairly good shape. Nope, not at 7,000 ft. The second, and more pertinent, reason for my extreme sweating is this: I am kind of a 'fraidy cat and have a *slight* aversion to heights. I kept envisioning myself tripping and falling off the edge of the cliff. Plus, I had a dress on, so if that happened people would DEFINITELY see my ass. Which, for me, would be way more embarrassing then falling off a cliff and rendering myself unconscious in the middle of a National Monument. Pretty sure I looked like a freak scooting around the cliff (on the cement path with a guard rail, mind you) trying to stay as far away from the edge as possible. I also think the park ranger made fun of me when I passed him. jerk. 

     But I have to say, the dwellings the Sinaguas made in the cliffs were remarkable. I can't imagine that being the landscape of my daily life. I would be a nervous wreck. My tribe would probably trade me for some decent pottery. I kept thinking to myself, "What about the toddlers? How many of them just toddled right off the edge of the cliff?" On my way back up the 240 stairs, I ran into the park ranger again and managed to have a conversation about the toddlers in between my pants and wheezes. He compared their cliff-dwelling existence to our present-day life where we navigate traffic and city blocks in order to get to our destinations; we adapt to our environment. I kind of think he's an idiot for comparing cliff-dwelling to traffic, but maybe that's just me and my issues with heights. 

     beautiful scenery. descended into a canyon and walked along the edge of a cliff in spite of internal misgivings. relaxing evening at the hotel. I'd say today was a good one.  

cliff dwelling (about 1/3 from the top)

closer...

ancient cliff dwelling (the walls are made of stacked 

rocks, plastered with red clay for insulation)

inside a well-preserved room (doorway leads to another 

room; each dwelling had multiple rooms)