Indiana Cerda

As we drove north past Santa Fe, past the Indian casino's and past the last small town of White Rock we entered into a canyon that holds the spirits of the past. I dusted off my Indiana Jones hat and substituted my camera for the whip to capture moments in time. We are headed off to explore the past.

As you drive over a couple of mountain ranges to arrive at Bandelier National Park you start to see the past speaking to you.

Back before anyone roamed this area there was a huge volcanic eruption that was 600 times bigger than Mt. St. Helen in 1980. The volcano discharged so much volcanic pumice that in certain parts of this area the ash was over 1000' deep. Over time, the ash became compressed and formed these tall cliffs that are made up of this porous rock that today is called "Tuff".

As we began our hike one of the oldest questions in time was answered right before our eyes. At one point you may have heard the expression or even used it yourself "Does a bear sh*# in the woods?" Today we were witness to "If a Dear sh*#'s in the woods, will someone hear it?". The answer, yes, because we not only heard it but saw it.

After taking a moment to discuss what we just witnessed we continued down the path to explore the past. The Indians that would migrate in and out of this area to follow the movements of big game animals. Over time they began to build more permanent shelter. The soft rock, tuff, was easy to carve holes into and could be used as shelter. Slowly the Indians made this area more permanent and built homes against the cliffs. Today, we can visit these old dwellings. To touch the past, one has to climb several ladders to reach these dwellings perched high above the canyon floor.

I remember growing up in DC and being dragged to the Smithsonian Museum to learn about American History. I would have my nose pressed against the glass to look at the displays of the American Indians that created there home in the cliffs.

These dwellings have been dated back to 10,000 years and today we find ourselves walking in the same places and touching the same walls that have been witness to so much change.

This soft rock has become almost like a huge block of swiss cheese from the erosion caused by wind and rain.

This National Park is littered with cliff dwellings and stories of the past. Evidence can be seen all around you.

The footprint of their homes are still visible today.

The markings that they left behind still tell a story of a people that had to work hard just to survive. Walking around we found pieces of pottery that they would been used to carry water or used in cooking. We also found volcanic rock, that looks like glass and is very sharpe, that they would have used to make spears for hunting game.

Bandelier National Park is a time capsule of the past. It allows any visitor who enters to be transported back to the past. History is all around you. Here the rocks speak to you through symbols carved by someone hundreds of years ago or by the footprint of buildings. The cliffs and canyon floor are still filled with historic litter of the past.

This is a place that one looks back in order to look forward.