Hovenweep is part of the Canyon of the Ancients, located at the end of the canyon. The canyon is very narrow at the bottom and not much elevation gain between the bottom and the top. Nevertheless, the Ancient Ones built structures around the edges and in the bottom.
We really like Hovenweep because it is an easy 8-mile walk down around and back up to the campgrounds. While you can’t enter the structures it is easy to get up and close as the barriers are not set back very far. And like Mesa Verde, the ruins are from the similar people, but here there are not the tourists. We only saw 6 other people during our entire walk.
While we are not religious, it is a place that is very spiritual to us. To be so close to those who came before us, and to experience seeing structures built on sheer rock walls or small outcroppings is a source of amazement.
We were at Hovenweep as part of a grandkids trip about 10 years ago. We’d taken the 4 older kids to Mesa Verde for part of the 100-year anniversary and then heard of Hovenweep. We fell in love with Hovenweep so it was easy to combine this with our road trip.
This time, being alone, we packed up a picnic, very simple sandwich makings, veges and hummus, and white wine. Dale found us a nice flat rock to spread out the lunch and then we found a place in front of the “Twin Towers” to enjoy lunch and the canyon. Having simple food and a simple wine was fitting to the area.
The sky was blue, not a cloud, and the air crisp and cool. We couldn’t ask for a better day.
No comments:
Post a Comment