1. Pueblo La Plata Ruins (Jan 30, 2018)

A01AguaFriaNM The location of the Agua Fria National Monument in which we will explore some centuries old pueblos ruins. A02AguaFriaNM The location of Pueblo La Plata Ruins within Agua Fria National Monument: The red tracks are our hikes on this trip; the green tracks are our drives on Jeep trails; The golden highlight is Bloody Basin Road off the I-27 between Phoenix and Flagstaff; the light yellow track is a hike we're looking at for a future trip; The light pink area is shown on GoogleEarth on the next graphic. GoogleViewPuebloLaPlataAnnotated We hiked into the ruins from the parking lot and, after exploring around the ruins, we explored about directly north along the south rim of the canyon formed by Silver Creek. BobsPicsDSC 7329-HDR(3)- After we turned off the I-17 onto Bloody Basin Road, Bob shot this sunrise to the east.
IMG 5415-HDR Our trusty steed, Xterror, is tied up in the parking lot for a rest before the remainder of our day. BobsPicsDSC 7344-HDR(3)- Suzanne is looking over the register. More people than we thought had visited recently. But this day we had the place to ourselves. IMG 5414-HDR(3) Bob and Suzanne check the information board at the trailhead. BobsPicsDSC 7335-HDR(3)- We found out that we were "here." ?????
LaPlataPg1-third But there was some interesting info about the ruins. LaPlataPg2 What archealogists believe Pueblo La Plata looked like at one time. The area is still being researched by ASU (go Sun Devils) and Museum of Northern Arizona scientists. IMG 5427-HDR Trusting that there was a pueblo ruins out there, we start off down the short trail. It's hard to spot. IMG 5433-HDR Aha! The first walls.
IMG 5436-HDR stitch The locations of walls and corners are clearly discernable. IMG 5454-HDR IMG 5466-HDR A typicalpot sherd that is one of many, many, that are abundant around here. The native people, or someone, broke lots of pots. Why didn't they use Corningware or Tupperware? Guess I don't understand these people. BobsPicsDSC 7353-HDR(3)- Some earlier finds by visiters have been placed in locations scattered around the ruins.
BobsPicsDSC 7356-HDR(3)- IMG 5469-HDR The orginal structure is visible in several places. Remember, the original was build 7 to 9 centuries ago. The mud mortar has been washed away and the elements and creatures (including illegal aliens such as ourselves have taken their toll. IMG 5472-HDR IMG 5475-HDR
IMG 5478-HDR IMG 5481-HDR Bob with a potsherd. Could this be the February 2019 calendar picture! We put the ones we found, back where we found them. IMG 5484-HDR BobsPicsDSC 7362-HDR(3)-
BobsPicsDSC 7383-HDR(3)- IMG 5493-HDR IMG 5499-HDR That's the small canyon cut by Silver Creek in the background. That is most probably the orginal occupant's source of water. IMG 5502-HDR
IMG 5505-HDR Bob finds a multicolored potsherd. IMG 5508-HDR Suzanne finds some obsidian, which seems to be plentiful in the area. BobsPicsDSC 7392-HDR(3)- We were fascinated with the "wispy" cloud formations overhead. BobsPicsDSC 7397-HDRCropped- Bob snapped this picture of some of the local wildlife.
BobsPicsDSC 7401-HDR(3)- This is looking upstream in the canyon formed by Silver Creek. BobsPicsDSC 7404-HDR(3)- Looking across the canyon BobsPicsDSC 7407-HDR(3)- To downstream. BobsPicsDSC 7410-HDR(3)- Fairly large trees in the creek drainage (the trees are now dormant-it's Febuary), confirm that there must be some water in Silver Creek.
BobsPicsDSC 7413-HDR(3)- Disappointed that we had not seen any petroglyphs, we start exploring the rocks along the rim of Silver Creek canyon. BobsPicsDSC 7416-HDR(3)- BobsPicsDSC 7425-HDR(3)- BobsPicsDSC 7439-HDR- We decide to push on and head back to Bloody Basin Road and on east to BLM 9025 to find what Don thinks is a way to another set of ruins: The Perry Tank Canyon Ruins. The road we chose to take off 9025 soon came to a point where it had been blocked off. So we set out on foot to find "the 2nd windmill" where we thought the trailhead might be. After a mile of so, the old, decommissioned road we were on intersected a much better road. The smoke on the horizon is probably a "managed" burn over by Cordes Junction to our north northeast.
BobsPicsDSC 7450-HDR- So we reached that better road and turned around to retreat to the Xterror. We then set out in search of a way to access the road. Here we are on our way back to the car. BobsPicsDSC 7455-HDR(3)- On our hike out we spotted a man-made pile of rocks and decided to explore. Was it a pueblo ruins or fences or windbreaks???? BobsPicsDSC 7458-HDR(3)- BobsPicsDSC 7461-HDR(3)- There were no signs that this was a type of structure of a pueblo. So what was it and who put in all this labor to collect and stack all these rocks? I guess we'll never know.
BobsPicsDSC 7464-HDR(3)- BobsPicsDSC 7465-HDR- BobsPicsDSC 7470-HDR(3)- Looks like the builders were using peyote? BobsPicsDSC 7473-HDR(3)- It was a puzzle - an unsolved mystery. We'll make another attempt to get to the Perry Tank Canyon Ruins another day. Now back to I-17 and down to Rock Springs Cafe for a late lunch and some of their famous pies.