Wide Open Spaces

While in Santa Fe I kept singing the Dixie Chicks song Wide Open Spaces and I was also singing Indian Outlaw, but mom told me to stop singing that one:). You seriously can see for miles and it is so open and the sky seems so big and crystal clear. The sky is so blue and the clouds are gorgeous. Joe had rehearsal this morning so we started out early and headed to the Puye Cliff Dwellings in the Santa Clara pueblo. The cliff dwellings date back to the 1600's. When we got there we did the Mesa Top tour where they drive you to the top of the cliff and you went around the ruins and saw the structures that were still standing. Thankfully the tour guide told us it was hotter up there and gave me an umbrella to keep over Parker. Let's just say we weren't really dressed for the tour. You had to climb up and navigate through brush and I was wearing flip flops in a dress while holding Parker and an umbrella over his head. The tour was 90 minutes and I seriously thought my back and arms were going to break. It was so neat though and totally worth the discomfort. It was amazing to hear how they developed their community and how insightful and purposeful the tribe was. While walking around there were artifacts of pottery and items all over the ground. It was so fascinating. We had signed up for the adventure tour not knowing the second part was even more physical where we climb up the actual ladders on the cliff and go through the windows and go very high. Needless to say we opted out of the second portion and took some pictures from the sidelines. There was no way I could have done that with Parker. Our tour guide, Porter, was so informative and knowledge about his tribe that are a part of the Santa Clara pueblo. In New Mexico today there are 19 pueblos and before the Spanish came there were 137 tribes. The main cause of death was diseases and there was a 98% fatality rate among Indians dying from a disease. The pueblos today have their own government, police force, etc. and are their own separate little country. It is all so interesting when you think it is part of America. After leaving the cliff dwellings we looked for a place to eat which was scary in itself. We were far out but found a Lotaburger and ate there. Afterwards we went to the Santa Clara pueblo and toured the areas open to the public. Various homes are open were the Indian are selling pottery or jewelry in their homes. We went in a few homes and had very interesting conversations with the people. One lady had actually lived in Cloverdale Indiana for five years and her sister still lives there today. We stopped at the a new casino and hotel on the way back to town called Buffalo Thunder. It is run by one of the pueblos but is a Hilton hotel and it is gorgeous. The hotel is amazing and has so many awesome statues and Indian pieces. This is where Parker recieved his new name Buffalo Thunder. We went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner to meet Joe. This is when I learned about Cooper and his lip and was so ready to go home. I felt terrible that I was so far and was seriously ready to throw up. I am so so thankful that it was not any worse and that it all worked out! This may be my last trip away for a long long time! For dinner we met Joe at Cowgirls BBQ. I read about this restaurant in our tour book and it was adorable. The food was quite tasty and the whole place was so cute. We all had a great dinner and enjoyed our time with Joe. He had a show that evening but was able to visit for quite some time before he had to leave. We were all so tired that we were in bed by 9:00 which was 11:00 at home. We had a busy day!