About forty minutes from our campsite were two beautiful places to visit. The fact that the kids could earn junior ranger badges made them all the more enticing.
The first stop was Sunset Crater National Monument. We were all surprised to learn that the scientists are still uncertain what caused the volcanoes in northern Arizona to form. Whatever the cause, we were all shocked to see such a stark contrast there compared to the surrounding areas. Lava Flow trail was stunning even with my big mug in the photo!
Aspen trees next to pine trees seemed to be the majority of the very little vegetation scattered among the volcanic rock. Unfortunately the crater itself was closed to visits in an attempt to help preserve it.
The other (and directly adjacent) monument was the Wupatki National Monument. On the way there, we stopped so Scott could help push a couple of women out of the ditch. The kids thought it was hilarious that one of them refused to leave until I hugged her. Backing up, putting my hands up, and even verbally closing it down, she still insisted on hugging me. I didn’t even push her car out!
Finally at the monument, we were able to see pueblos built by the indigenous people over one thousand years ago. The knowledge that went into building the pueblo included making it possible for the people to have a well vented fire room to stay warm in the winters without suffocating. We were all impressed with what it took to make such a large, essentially town-center for hundreds of people, work so well.
The largest and most restored of several different pueblos built in the area.
While we weren’t allowed to go inside the rooms, the walkway took us right up to the building. The complexity of a building so old was amazing.
[I laughed when I started editing these pictures. What the photos don’t show is how unbelievably windy it was that day. There were a few moments where the kids hid behind us while using us as windbreaks. Had we not been there, they may well have blown away. We skipped the last two ruins due to the winds.]
