Steve's Sidewalk

The search for petroglyphs can be precarious. 

Literally.  The cliff to Steve's right (above) is about 100 feet straight down.
He calls this ledge a "sidewalk". 

I wasn't nearly as relaxed about walking on it.
I wish the Native Americans of old (probably of the Fremont culture in this area) hadn't liked heights so much.  They often built their homes in cliffy spots.  Here are the ruins of a 1000 year old pit house, situated at least a couple of hundred feet above the Nine Mile Valley floor:

Their choice was logical, though.  The height gave them a good view in all accessible directions.  If enemies attacked, the pit house dwellers would have had plenty of warning. 

Up above the old dwelling, the petroglyphs were amazing. Pecking all of these figures into stone must have taken a lot of time:

Seems like somebody was having a bad hair day:

Parent and child, holding hands?:

This cliff on the other side of the valley is said to have ruins on the summit, and probably some petroglyphs, also:

Should we get out our climbing gear?  Does anyone have a helicopter?

Cliffside Granary

From Monument Point, where the Grand Canyon trek ended, Steve and company drove to an old campsite of ours and hiked to a Native American granary that we've seen before.
Can you spot it?

The granary is built into a pinnacle standing all by itself near the canyon rim. A climb is required to reach it. Probably it was placed in this out of the way place to have a food supply well hidden from enemies.

The guys found the granary unchanged from our last visit, although deterioration is obviously occurring over time. What was once an adobe-like covering has worn away in places, showing the wooden framework beneath. One of the stones leaned up against the bottom of the opening may have been used to seal it.

If you enlarge and look carefully at the photo (below) of the floor inside the granary, you can see a couple of corncobs remaining from the Native Americans' centuries-old cache.

An Acrophobiac's Nightmare

A few years ago, we explored an unusual Anasazi ruin in a remote area near Bluff, Utah. (in the Four Corners area, so called because it's near the intersection of 4 state lines.)

The site above, located perhaps a hundred feet below the top of the cliffs, is difficult to find. Click on the photo above to see 2 people standing at the level of the ruins.
Access looks impossible, but it's not as bad as you might think. The approach is from the opposite side of the canyon, down a narrow ledge that must be traversed single file - scary, but safe enough if you're careful. After reaching the site level, you can walk around in a semi-circle (out of sight to the right in the above photo) to the ruins.
Along the way, you'll pass a spring with vegetation growing in the rock cracks where the water seeps through.

(The black dog at the bottom of the photo is hard to see in the sunlight, but she's lying a pool of water.)
Some of the ruins are quite well preserved. This home is complete with a window (or maybe it's a door?)
Steve climbed down into an enclosed, rounded structure called a kiva. Note the convenient shelf for storage.
Probably the people chose this site for safety from enemies. They most likely grew crops on the land above.

Can you imagine tending a 2 year old while living there? I've often thought they must have tethered the children until they were old and wise enough to avoid the edge.

For photos and tales from other worlds, click here.