March 16…. A new favorite place?

So we spent the day driving in the mountains north of Silver City NM. We headed out this morning for Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument, up in the Gila National Wilderness area.

Shortly after leaving Silver City, we passed the Chino Open Pit copper mine. An ENORMOUS hole in the ground with machines and excavations all over the place.

Afterwards, heading north, don’t ever let yourself think that civilization is everywhere… we drove for almost an hour and didn’t see another car or house or even a power line. No cell service, no fuel, no nothing. We were out there. As I watched my fuel gauge sink closer and closer to zero. 🫢

Finally, we reached the Cliff Dwelling trail and started up a very pretty canyon, with a small running creek at the bottom. After a half mile, a LOT of steps took us up to the level of the cliff dwellings. Very similar to Mesa Verde in Colorado as I remember, but these dwellings were made by a different group of people, and only occupied for a few short (25) years, compared to several hundred years at Mesa Verde.

Shortly after leaving the cliffs, we found a great place to relax, Gila Hot Springs. A natural hot springs piped into a series of pools on the banks of the Gila River.

And we made it all the way back to Silver City and still had almost two quarts of fuel left. 😁