Gunghy Bike Trip from CA to TX (IV)

Ruins of the Pecos Pueblo. Pecos means running water. The settlement was started around 1100 and died out after the Spaniards moved in and established a mission. At it's peak, it supported over 2000 people and was very rich and powerful.

A reconstructed Kiva, a ceremonial room.

The inside of the kiva. The hole behind the ladder is an air intake vent. The structure in the foreground is a protective wall for the fire. The entrance was also the chimney. Circulation is evidently quite good, preventing the air from becoming too smokey.

The reason the Pueblo was so rich. This pass is the easiest way from the great plains to the desert, so they taxed all the trade moving through. Down there, you can see a little of I-25 between Las Vegas and Santa Fe.

Cliff dwellings about an hour north of Santa Fe. The building is a reconstruction. It has since been decided that the entries were on the roof, like the kivas.

The material of the cliff is called tuff. It's volcanic ash. Most of the caves were hand carved into the rock. They think that they all had houses built in front of them.

More of the caves.

A shot of an area in the cliff. It was fenced off, so I couldn't go further in.

From the house on the cliff. This pueblo was a mix of cliff dwellings and ground buildings.

A vanity shot. I got there at 5:30 and it closed at 7, so I rushed through without even removing my armor.

Note: Gunghy finished 13 miles short of 4000 in 11 days in his Yamaha Raider. Click here to see all his photos.