Desert Messenger

July 15, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE Open 7am - 7pm 7 DAYS/ WEEK 928-927-8890 & Gift Shop 490 N. Moon Mt. Ave., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) B-10, Main St. Moon Mountain X Quail Trail N Hwy. 95, N. Central • DAILY SPECIALS • Friday FISH Special • Sat. PRIME RIB • Sunday POT ROAST Enjoy our Famous Bread Pudding ! Home Style Cooking! HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY! 10 -noon & 3:30-5:30pm 175 E. Main St. 928-927-5585 www.sillyalspizza.com SILLY AL'S PIZZA Famous Gourmet Pizza KARAOKE DJ • Tues- Thur 7pm Kevin James Serving Quartsite at Same Location for over 20 years! LIVE MUSIC • Fri-Sat. 7pm - Ern Cunningham EAT IN OR TAKE OUT! Reservations Accepted! Large Groups OK! ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ We're taking a break from rocks, gold, and prospecting this month. Yeah, really. We have been on the road, traveling, collecting rocks, fi nding gold, and generally explor- ing and having fun. Of all the things we were fortunate enough to experience this travel season, some of the most amazing ones were the pueblos of New Mexico. New Mexico isn't called the Land of Enchantment for noth- ing. The ancient history of New Mexico truly is enchanting. Some of the pueblos in New Mexico are ancient cliff dwellings long abandoned, but some of them, like Taos Pueblo and Acoma Sky City are over 1000 years old and still inhabited. Taos Pueblo and Acoma Sky City are easily acces- sible, while some of the others are more remote. Acoma Sky City Pueblo is located about 70 miles west of Albuquer- que off of I40. At an altitude of 6460 feet, the high desert sur- rounding Acoma pueblo is a scenic area full of amazing rock By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ In the footsteps of the ancients formations and expansive views. The landscape is full of towering sandstone bluffs, and it is atop one of these bluffs, 367 feet above the desert fl oor, where the Pueblo of Acoma was built. The Acoma people have lived at the top of this mesa since 1150 AD, and several families still live either full time or part-time, without electricity, sewer, or running water, in the dwellings there. Many of the people who live on the mesa top make their living by creating and selling tradi- tional crafts like pottery. Taos Pueblo is located just outside the City of Taos. The oldest buildings in the Pueblo were built between 1000 and 1450 AD. Approximate- ly 150 people live full-time in the Pueblo. They live in dwellings without electricity, sewer, or the modern idea of running water. There is a river running through the center of Taos Pueblo, and one of the people said to me, "We have running water here, we have the river." At Taos pueblo, some of the people are craftspersons, while others sell food made fresh, and sometimes to order, in their homes. Off the beaten path north of Santa Fe is the absolutely gorgeous Ban- delier National Monument. Here, the ruins of pueblos coexist with cliff dwellings built into natural crevises in the walls of Frijoles Canyon called cavates. The old- est structures date from 1150 AD. Twelve miles from the Frijoles Canyon area is the Tsankawi sec- tion. There are ruins of pueblos at the top of the mesa, and the mesa walls are lined with cavates some with multiple rooms in them. The most intriguing aspect of Tsankawi are the ruts, some two feet deep, of foottrails, steps and handholds, that wind throughout the mesa, worn into the soft sand- stone by thousands of feet and hands traversing the same paths for hundreds of years. It is truly an experience to travel these same paths while visiting these ancient dwellings. Visiting the pueblos is refreshing to the soul. At the top of the mesa in Acoma, at the base of the mountain in Taos, within the bosom of Frijo- les canyon it is quiet. It is ancient and sacred. There is a peace there that is not found in the modern world. When walking in the foot- steps of the ancients, the stresses and problems of life fade away, and the spirit is rejuvenated. The land, the sky, the rocks, the plants, the birds and animals all speak to one's soul. We need only to slow down enough to hear what they have to say. Sit in a cavate and look out over the desert or the canyon. Find a quiet spot along the river in Taos Pueblo and admire the mountain. Climb down the ancient stairway from the mesa top at Acoma, hold- ing onto handholds carved by the ancient ones. As we walk in the footsteps of the ancients, our spir- its will follow. We will fi nd a new connection to the earth. And after all, isn't that why we love rocks? For more photos and information on the pueblos and links to their sites, go to our Blog "Adventures With Rocks". Access the Blog through the Media tab on the top toolbar of our website www. RocksInMyHead.com. While you are there, check out our selection of books as well as Native Ameri- can Crafts and artifacts. We will be open again in Quartzsite in November at A37 in Rice Ranch, but until then you can order by phone or email at 605-376-9875 or Jenn@RocksInMyHead.biz. Thanks for your business this winter. Hope you're having a great summer. And don't forget, Life is Short! Go Outside and Play. © 2013 Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ and Adventures With Rocks™. All rights reserved. Unauthor- ized reproduction or distribution strictly prohibited. RocksInMyHead™ (Nov.- April) Rice Ranch Marketplace A37 Quartzsite, AZ 85346 (May-Sept) Patsy Dr. & Thompson Kingman, AZ 86401 www.RocksInMyHead.com www.AdventuresWithRocks.com www.JennJedidiahFree.com 605-376-8754 848 N. Rainbow Blvd. (offi ce only) Las Vegas, NV 89107 Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com

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