Our big stop today was Bandelier National Monument just outside of Santa Fe, NM. We really wanted to see the cliff dwellings and we saw some really amazing sights along the way.
The cliff dwellers carved large holes in the volcanic rock. They then built large, multi-story buildings (which no longer remain) in front of them. Shown above is a reconstruction of one of those buildings.
We saw mule deer as close as 30 feet away peacefully grazing on the grass near the ruins.
The sun began to set as we left the park so, naturally, we stopped to take more photos. Even the moon was cooperating. I’m not able to process any of the HDR shots I took with my DSLR on the road so these “HDR” cell phone pics will have to do.
After leaving the park we went back to Albuquerque to get a burger. We then drove west to a small town called Grants where we stayed the night. On to Arizona and the Petrified Forest tomorrow!
Stumptown Bound 
The Cliff Dwellers, no? Maybe the Anasazis perhaps? I always wanted to go to Santa Fe!
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