May 29, 2017
My last full day in the Las Cruces area (southwest New Mexico) I headed northwest a little over 3 hours to visit the Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument. After driving in to the facility and parking at the Visitor Center I walked back a long path which took me on a gradual incline up to the side of the mountain where I could see and actually walk through the dwellings:
When arriving at the end of the tour everyone had the choice of going back the way they came in or climbing down a wooden ladder for a shorter path back to the parking area.
To give you an idea of the scale, there is a man standing in right portion of the photo above.
This post contains mainly earth-tones. Here are some photos of a cactus with blooms to provide a little color.