So we did a lot on our first official day of sightseeing. We saw a lot of stuff, mostly from overlooks. But that's alright. It got the kids pumped up and excited for all the walking they did. They even were excited to go back the next day. But that's another blog entry.
We saw some famous tour houses like Cliff Palace from overlooks. We didn't do the mile or so trek out to see the Balcony house from an overlook. That was nearing the end of our day and those who hadn't taken a nap (namely the adults) were a little pooped. The kids were nearing the end of their interest as well. So, we missed that one. I guess we'll have to do a return trip when they're older and actually go through Balcony House.
One of the canyons we took pictures of had so many different cliff dwellings that every crevice in the south facing cracks seemed to have some sort of ruin in it. It was amazing! Some of them were pretty big too! One had a large fire pit that the description said it might have been used as a gathering place rather than where people lived all of the time. We dubbed it "Party Central." It was pretty cool!
We briefly circled the Sun Temple and were amazed by the fact that the structure, although unfinished and never used (according to archaeologists), had water downspouts built into the walls. So, when the rains came, they had a way to channel the water. Pretty cool. You can't tell me these guys didn't know much about "technology."
Anyway, it was pretty interesting. We were left wondering, after seeing all of these cliff dwellings and pit houses, why someone would choose to live in cliffs and on the tops of mountains when there was a green valley just to the north. Why? Maybe we'll never know...but I'm sure intrigued.
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