Lago Paz (peaceful lake)

GHOST RANCH

Another amazing trip to Ghost Ranch was enjoyed by the 19 folks who gathered this year on the weekend of Nov. 2,3,4.  Most arrived in time for dinner on Friday evening.  After supper John Hayden gave an informal talk on the Tsiping Pueblo ruin that we would visit on Saturday.  And what a day it was – a beautiful fall day in northern New Mexico.  We drove about an hour south and west of Abiquiu on a dirt road, parked on the Santa Fe National Forest, and walked over to the edge of a steep canyon.  Looking across we could see the huge pile of rock of Tsiping Pueblo.  We hiked down a switch-back trail that led us to a cuchillo, a knife edge land-bridge, and crossed to the other side of the canyon.  We immediately came upon a rock wall on the far west end of the pueblo.  Just off to the left and west was Cerro Pedernal. Down below the peak was a valley, with a few scattered houses along a small creek and a Russian Orthodox skete.  To the north along Polvadera Creek was the small town  of Cañones.  The pueblo was built with pumice rock cut into building blocks and had a very large kiva on the north side.  After sack lunches, folks walked the area and found stone steps and petroglyphs cut into  the rock.  That evening we couldn’t imagine how John would ever top that day.  But he always has some place in mind.  The next day we drove north and stopped on the Carson National Forest.  We saw where the Gallina culture summered in basalt slab homes that looked like “bird nests” on the ground.  Further on, we stopped and walked into Lago Paz (peaceful lake).  We had lunch and then explored the beaver dam and surrounding area.  That afternoon found us winding our way home, and very glad to have made the trip

Ancient Staircase

Cerro Pedernal,

Northern New Mexico Landmark