We have now found Anasazi ruins in block form as well as very primitive.  
They seem to be in every spot that is worth living in.  
The primitive ones are found around natural rock formations 
and they just improve on the surroundings by putting rock 
walls in between large rocks and connecting them together 
to make rooms.  The others are clearly carved or worked 
rocks that are created with large rectangular rocks for 
a foundation and carved rocks for walls.  Some of the 
workmanship is extraordinary as the corners of some of 
the buildings are sharp and make perfect angles. 



These places are incredibly hard to recognize.  The building 
blocks blend into the rocks of the primitive type with 
perfect camouflage.  In the case of this building or 
at least hunting blind it was not seen but past by us many times.  




Some times you have to get right on it to see it.  On this 
time out I spotted a building not 1000 feet from the 
road we had used on every outing.  It seemed the light 
had just caught it right and suddenly there it was.  A 
sophisticated base of carved rock that someone had laid 
adobe on to recreate the walls.  For this reason you have 
to analyze the areas in the open for farming residents with 
their foundations in the open.  You have to go to the foot 
of the bute or canyon wall and find the dwellings in the rocks.  
Climb the canyon sides to find the caves and hunting blinds.  
Check under water falls for ceremonial structures.  Then climb 
to the top and see if there were dwellings there.  






Each time out we seem to have a new theme.  I had been 
out by myself and closed in on a full size Elk in a cave.  
The animal the size of a horse almost drove us both off 
the canyon wall to the rocks below as it jumped out of 
the cave on the ledge I was using to get into the cave.  
Both Mike and Greg wanted to look for Elk racks.  The 
antlers are dropped in March and April.  The problem 
was that the area with the most Elk was the top of Mesa 
Prietta.  There is only one road up and to call it a road 
is an overstatement.  There are spots in the road where 
Mike had to get out and fill in holes with large rocks so 
the car would not be damaged by the drop of the wheels over 
other rocks.  Mike did a masterful job of climbing the road 
to the large flat mesa about 4 miles long and a mile wide.  
After this bumpy, dangerous ride we were at the top.  My first 
thought was "only a helicopter can help is now!"  We drove 
to the north end of the Mesa and found a large tank or pond 
that had been created to capture water.  Greg was using 
binoculars to scan the area and I was in awe of the views 
when Mike announced that he could see his rack on the ground 
about 100 yards away.  Sure enough we got out and he had a 
great Elk right side rack as a trophy.  We spread out in three 
different directions for about 20 minutes when I heard two shots 
to summons me back to the car.  They announced that they had 
found a hunters site.  We drove to the far western edge of this 
flat top mountain to find a fire place, a small blind of rocks 
and a chair made from large volcano rocks.



Greg now finds his rack just off the edge of the Mesa.



After consuming some lunch and the magnificent views 
Mike decides it would be a great idea to forge down 
the Elk and Antelope trail to look for more racks.  
I think it's a good idea just to get to the new areas 
below.  Greg wants to do it because he is in the best 
shape of us all and it looks easy.  So were to go down.  




The way down is filled with giant boulders of lava the 
size of Volkswagens with scrub oak all around.  And if 
that was not bad enough some of the inclines were almost 
straight down.  Once again we spread out to descend.  At 
one point I heard a great rumble of falling rock and movement.  
I was frightened and drew my weapon only to see 5 frightened 
Elk rushing away from me heading in the direction of Greg.  
It is these magic moments when you are alone yet connected 
through the earth and all the creatures that make it worth 
the trouble it was taking to get where we were going.  The 
picture below has a mark as to were it was we were going to.



We did all meet at the bottom.  Only to notice what a 
task it would be to get back up to the top again.  Greg 
made it without much problem.  I was not in that kind of 
shape and found I was panting and having trouble leaping 
from rock to rock and my legs were so tired I would often 
loose my balance.  Mike stopped with me as I took at least 
5 breaks of several minutes on the way back.  We could see 
Greg at the top shouting directions for the easiest paths 
to take.  Mike admitted to me the he was leg weary also.  
In the end even Greg admitted that he though he was suffering 
from heat stroke and took a 10 minute rest half way up.  
We all ran out of water and were exhausted as we headed back.  
Here is what it looked like at the bottom.  All of it is yet 
to be explored.  The villages of a thousand years ago, the 
primitive hunting blinds unseen by modern people.  Its all 
there waiting patiently for us to return and discover.  We 
did find some pottery and Greg found an arrow head.  They 
were there and so will we be.  I wonder what would we do 
if an Elk does run into us or one of us breaks a leg or 
takes a bad fall.  What if I had not been able to make it 

back up to the top?



As we drove back on the lonely path to descend the Mesa a lone
Elk with a full rack, head back running at full stride came
from behind the car parralelled us as we drove then cut in
front of the car to vear off in front and gone into the distance.
I can only tell you that my worst day out here is better 
than a 1,000 days at the office.






 for more email us and put "anastazi" in the subject line







email to: chuck@911nm.com





chuck@911nm.com

THE AMMONITES WE FIND

COMING SOON THE ANIMALS, SCENERY, POTTERY, FOSSILS...

copyright 2000/2001 Chuck Dawson Corrales NM

 
 



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