Wupatki National Monument

While we were at the Grand Canyon we were faced with the decision of paying the $25 entrance fee or purchasing the National Park Pass for $80 which is good for all of the national parks nation wide.  The decision wasn't much of a decision and we got the National Park Pass.  

Wanting to get the most value out of it we stopped at the Wupatki National Monument located along Highway 89.  We didn't really know anything about it and we were interested to see what we'd find.  

1

Near the south entrance to the park was a dormant volcano and old lava flows.  I hadn't seen lava since my mission in the Canary Island and it was fun to see and explore.

2

I found this tree intriguing and wondered how it was surviving, but somehow it was.

3

4

Lizards are a challenge to photograph and Amy and I are usually good at spotting them.  But this little guy kinda just snuck up on us and blended in real well with the lava.

5

Here's the volcano.

6

The National Park Guide site states, "Less than 800 years ago, Wupatki Pueblo was the largest pueblo around. It flourished for a time as a meeting place of different cultures. Yet this was one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau, offering little obvious food, water, or comfort. How and why did people live here? The builders of Wupatki and nearby pueblos have moved on, but their legacy remains."

7

Amy and I had fun walking around the ruins.

8

And exploring them.

9

We tried to imagine what it would be like to have lived there.

10

11

We also wondered what the people were thinking when they settled there in the middle of the desert.

12

Somehow plants grow.