Day 15 - Hovenweep Nat. Monument

If you are following the text of this blog, you have deduced that I spent the night here at Hovenweep N.M.  It is in the extreme southeast corner of Utah and right up against the Colorado border.  It is REALLY out in the country and at night is so quiet.  Daytime temps. are 85-90 and evenings are 55-60.
So what is Hovenweep all about - it is series of rock structures built starting about the 700`s and abandoned in 1277`s.  They were associated with the builders of Mesa Verde Nat. Park in Colorado.  They built some of the finest stone towers found anywhere.  Check it out......

Some of the buildings were three stories tall and are positioned around a series of canyons to create a network for communication.  Most had windows set to angles lining up with each other.  They span an area of  about 50 square miles. 

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I happened across this "ring necked" lizzard who was not to worried about me and let me take three shots before we parted company.

Many, like this one are built on top of large sandstone boulders - great foundations!  I just could not help thinking that doorway has a mighty big first STEP.........

They must have had ladders to reach some of these towers.  That would have made for a great defence.

I went on a ranger lead hike to some petroglyphs.  This one gave directions to the nearest McDonald's.  Actually the spiral (they think) was a record of the travels to another dimension or what we would call heaven.  The thing at the end of the spiral is the doorway - it is also the common shape of the doorways into their buildings.  The shape allowed someone with a big load on their back to enter. 

There are a lot of these buildings and some are even built under large rocks, like the one to the right. 

Some appearently did not get building permits and that caused a problem.  Really the rock that the building behind is constructed on was undermined and slipped down.  As a testment to the builders the walls are still attached to the large rock even though it is now a about a 45 degree tilt.

A little something to show that in all of this desert there is some natural beauty.

I had to travel some back roads to view these buildings but my "rig" made it without any problem.

Well, that`s enough of these ruins.  Tomorrow it is off south to Canyon de Chelly N.M. which is back in Arizona, halfway to where Hyw. 40 cuts across the state.  It is still well above where the large "Wallow" fire is burning.

I have run out of "goodbys" that I can spell, so ....... See you.