Our first stop...Walnut Canyon.
We finally remembered to take a picture by the entrance sign BEFORE we entered!
With it’s steep
and sheer walls, Walnut Canyon provided home building advantages along with
controlled access. There are more than 300 cliff dwelling rooms here. Living
here, people were situated to monitor their world. This was not uncommon; most
villages of the time had some form of passive defense and line-of-sight
communication. Horizontal ledges serves as pathways connecting home to home,
such as those visible across the canyon. Game trails, natural breaks, and side
canyons were avenues linking the rim to the canyon floor.
This was a community
of relatives and neighbors. It’s members worked together to haul water, hunt
animals and gather plants for food. They helped each other with fields on the rim.
They shared walls, resources, joy and sorrow, success and failure. There was a
network of trails leading from one side of the canyon to the other. “Hopis
build their houses close to each other to remind them that they are supposed to
love each other.”
Al walked
the Island and Loop Trails. The main staircase had 273 stair steps one way and
the Loop Trail had 190 stair steps! Good thing Marley and I stayed on a nice
bench at the visitor center. We people
watched and Visited an older lady who just loved Marley. When Al came back, we
walked the .9 mile Rim Trail that was mostly paved and level. Gorgeous scenery
with shady spots to sit….
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