Palatki Cultural Site

When we were in Sedona, Arizona last week, we noticed right away that the light seemed different. Somehow...brighter. We've heard it described as "sharp". This may have something to do with why the sky is so incredibly blue. It makes a fabulous backdrop to show off the amazing red rocks. There are a lot of them...we saw "Coffee Pot Rock", "Snoopy", "Cathedral", "Bell Rock", "Courthouse" and so many more that had interesting shapes. It reminds me of how we look at clouds and see "things". There are a lot of rocks that are just pretty. Here are some that we saw one day on a drive out a long dirt road...


The red sand is not only pretty but it feels really soft...


The dirt road that we were on led to ancient ruins at the Palatki Cultural Site. These cliff dwellings are really old. It's estimated that they are from A.D. 1150-1300...


There are petroglyphs (carved into the rock)...


And, pictographs (painted onto the rock)...






In the 1920's the grandson of Lewis or Clark (they haven't figured out which one yet) moved to this area in his 60's, after his wife had passed away, and homesteaded 160 acres, which included these ruins. The first two years that he was there, he lived in a little structure built against the rocks. He later used this space to house farm animals...


While he lived in the space under the rocks, he built a home. It has been added onto over the years. It now serves as the visitor center and museum. I think it's cute and the setting is gorgeous...


While he lived there, he planted hundreds of fruit trees...apple, pear, persimon, walnut, Juju Fruit, etc.


This was a fascinating little excursion but the ruins were such a small example compared to what we'd later see in Mesa Verde, Colorado...I'll be posting about that soon.

Please come back soon for more on our desert adventure.

Thanks for stopping by. :-}