Day 5: Bandelier National Monument

Me hiding in the cave dwelling. It felt good to get out of the hot desert sun.

This place is so unlike anything I have ever seen. Before this trip, I never equated beauty with the desert, but this place is so breathtakingly beautiful that none of my photos seemed to really capture the essence of this place.

It's always interesting to me to see how other people groups live. The people who carved out the cave dwellings in these mountains were so ingenious and creative. The inside of the dwellings were spacious and cool. You could tell that there was a strong sense of community and working together to ensure the livelihood of all who were part of the tribe. I think we could certainly learn a lot from their lifestyle. There seemed to be a deep appreciation for hard work and functioning together as a close knit team. Everyone certainly did their part.

We hiked up to the campground. It was about 3 miles round trip. It was pretty hot in the sun, but totally worth it for the view at the top. There were fields of wildflowers with majestic mountains in the backdrop. It appeared larger than life.

It's certainly difficult not to acknowledge the existence of a higher power when you see places like this. I am resolved that not only does God exist, but He is also an artist. :)