Saturday, July 23, 2022
We were driving the eastern part of the south rim and came to a sandy parking area with no sign. We pulled in and asked a man who was walking back down the trail. He said it was a beautiful view and a 3/4 mile walk up this sand road.
We didn’t know what to expect, but it was a beautiful spot out on a ledge with great views. On the way back a family (perhaps German) were taking pictures of a tree, so we stopped to ask what they saw. It was a gopher snake eating a mouse. How it caught the mouse 4’ up a tree is a mystery.
Then we drove to the museum, a cool building that was closed. Outside the building were vendors. We walked around the other side to find an ancient site that was built in the Pueblo Indians 800 years ago in the Pueblo Ii era 950-1150). It was occupied for about 20 years.
On the other side of the closed museum, Indian art was being sold by four vendors, and all of it was very good. Martha bought a couple of pieces.
We talked with a museum guide, who told us some of the Pueblo beliefs. They believe they came out of the Earth. We would learn later that their kivas were important because symbolically they climbed down into the kiva from the roof, exiting the same way. He said Pueblos believe there are four periods, and we are in the last one now.
We made one more stop at Navajo Point before heading back to camp
