Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Honanki Cliff Dwellings - Sedona Area

While in Sedona we also took another off-road trip to some more ancient Cliff Dwellings.  These ruins were last lived in about 800 years ago by the Sinagua Indians. Some of the pictographs and petroglyphs there are estimated to be about 10,000 years old. Although these ruins are available to anyone, you should have at least a high clearance vehicle to safely get to them. Once there, you can walk right up them. Look but don't touch.

The trail leading up to these isolated ruins was created and maintained by Pink Jeep Co.


I looked in the little window and was totally amazed to find one of the original ladders still in place.


The trail allows you to walk directly up to the ruins. It's totally run on the honor system.  You can see the trail on the right hand side of the photo.



enlarge this one for sure






We were told that some of these symbols are also found in ancient Chinese ruins. Food for thought...

Amazing stuff.

It was pretty awe inspiring to be see things made by another person 10,000 years ago.  Being able to walk right into the ruins made it much easier to imagine what life must have been like back then. It must have been very difficult.


tomorrow some pics and info from the largest "ghost town" in the U.S.

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31 comments:

  1. Bratty Kids B.C. Sounds like a new Fall replacement TV series. So incredible that stuff like that survives. Amazing pics! Miss the pink Jeep though.

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  2. We wanted to visit but didn't have the right car!

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  3. Patrick, this must have been quite some trip. I always love to visit and see ancient places and your photographs and narrative brought me all the way there with you.
    That is probably a place I think I will never have the chance to visit.
    Thank you for sharing your experiences.
    Costas

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  4. Haha that would be awesome. I can just see the parents yelling at their kids for ruining the walls.

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  5. Stunning, Pat. I wish I could go there someday...maybe I will.
    Amazing to think of how they lived their life, and if the climate was similar back then...it probably was.

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  6. It is amazing how red that rock is. Thanks for more awesome pics, Pat.
    xoRobyn

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  7. Wonderful pictures and I like your by-line.. What if???? funny

    I want to know really what do they say.. No, I'll leave it alone for now..lol
    Thanks, Pat!!!!

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  8. Amazing ruins, pictographs, and pics! I would love to go there. So interesting to imagine life, 10,000 years ago.

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  9. Great photos!
    And yeah, that would be a riot.

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  10. The pictures really are great, and your closing comments were so funny, I can just imagine the press conference!

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  11. little brats with crayons! HA I LOVE IT

    looking forward to the ghost town

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  12. These are fantastic! You caught the color beautifully, too. Wonderful!!!

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  13. what an amazing place! i have got to go there!

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  14. Copyboy - Thanks Jesse! I think I may have to trade in my old truck for jeep...that little excursion wasn't cheap.

    Ren - Yeah, I wouldn't take my regular car down that road, no way!

    Naturedigital - Thanks Costas! It was a great trip. that is the same way I feel about where you live.

    Tim - I guess the kids gotta amuse themselves when there is no razors or big wheels...

    Joe - thanks Joe! they thought they moved because of drought. Nobody really knows I guess.

    Robyn - Very red, and the dust gets into everything.

    Lynne - thanks so much! I'll have to do some more research on that..lol

    Marguerite - Thanks! I'm sure it wasn't easy...

    Alex - thanks! I know my kids did it, so why not them?

    Brian - Oh yeah! that would be great to see...

    baygirl - if not crayons, then chalk!

    tapirgal - Lot's of great colors, that's for sure...

    Vencora - If you ever have the chance, you gotta go!

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  15. What great place for a photo op, Pat. If only those wall could talk!

    and it would indeed, be funny:D

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  16. Hi Pat...I love your photos. When we went to France a few years ago we took a tour with an archeologist of the cave paintings done What I believe to be more than ten thousand years ago. What I found so interesting was that the cave paintings had depth and dimension and perspective. These were not stick figures but art with thought. I think they have since shut down the cave tours because the humidity from human breath was causing damage. I feel so fortunate to have observed this kind of history and art. now you have me wanting to go see your ten thousand year old find!!

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  17. How beautiful!! Your pictures took me right there (even though I never have been :))

    Looks like your trip was phenomenal and very much deserved! *Huge HUGS

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  18. AMAZING to see someone's message from so many years ago. I would think that it becomes an intimately moving moment to be there in person. Gorgeous photos too.

    Thanks for stopping by. I loved the fact that you give just to give. No other reasons necessary are there?

    Take care.

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  19. Pam - It sure was. All of Sedona is a photo op...

    DrSoosie - Thanks so much! This stuff was not "art" but it is was pretty cool. The best thing about these ruins is you can walk right up to them and touch them if you wanted to, so far it looks like nobody wants to...

    Tara - Thanks Tara... It was a blast!

    OneWomansThoughts - thanks so much! my pleasure stopping by, sorry it's been so sporadic lately...

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  20. What a Trip!!!
    (Sounds like you should have taken my kids on a field trip;)

    Amazing hidden history....(real or not:)

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  21. Dawn - For a price, just maybe!
    Time will tell about the history.

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  22. It's believed that the decedents of the Native American Indian migrated up through the Asiatics,across the Bering Strait when there used to be a land bridge and down into North America. So it would make sense that one would find ancient Chinese symbols once in a while.

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  23. These photos are AMAZING. Those symbols are....just...WOW. I've never seen anything like that (other than on tv).

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  24. 10,000 years of remains ! That is beautiful find.
    Wong

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  25. What an amazing place, it would be like stepping back in time.

    Even stone age parents had to keep the kids busy so they wouldn't get into trouble or get eaten by a sabertooth.

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  26. This is and has been on my list of must see places.

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  27. I'd like to see one of the ancient crayons and even more so the actual sights you two are enjoying,

    I am proud to see you having such a fantastic trip.

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  28. I've been looking at these wonderful photos and I love them! They are so good and so inspiring. I always say that I want to go to these places and take pictures. After seeing yours I'm going to make sure I go.

    Great stuff Patrick!

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  29. The figure on the rock really is amazing

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