All Roads Lead to Montezuma Canyon - Three Kiva Pueblo

Still have that map from when I began this series? I'm going to continue moving northward on Montezuma Canyon Road - CR 146 for six more miles to Three Kiva Pueblo (seven miles from the CR 206/CR146 junction). One of the things I didn't mention before is how much Roy and I have begun to so enjoy this area, it borders on love. If we had the finances to move and live along this road, we would do it in less than a heartbeat; it's not just the landscape, but the overall atmosphere that draws us near and embraces us.  Maybe that is why all roads keep leading us to Montezuma Canyon, we're meant to be there...anyway, enough of the mush and lets get to the meat.

Oh, I better explain something; when you're looking up mileage for getting to places, well, it can be a little confusing.  On maps, the mileage is geared towards vehicles, a mile is a mile is a mile; straight forward.  On hiking sites, the mileage is geared towards how long it takes a person to walk somewhere; or that seems to be how many write their experiences up as.  For Roy and myself, we travel via "mesa miles"; while the odometer gives us the actual mile is a map mile; time wise, a "mesa mile" equals whenever the heck we get somewhere from stopping to take photos, hike around and explore.  Guess you can call the "mesa mile" a combination of vehicle travel and adventure spirit.  In other words, don't ask me how long it takes to get somewhere; I'll tell you the map miles, but other than that, you're on your own.  Back to our regularly scheduled writing...

The six miles between the second set of rock art and the pueblo is filled with a twisting, turning road of beautiful landscape full of mesas, buttes, rock formations, cliff dwellings; even the ranches and roaming cattle create the classic picture. 



Same formation, different view up close

Across from the above formation, you'll see a large flat faced boulder with black markings on it.  The markings are simple desert varnish, no rock art; you'll drive next to it on the road and see how huge the boulder is.


The river beds are dry and deep; I wonder what secrets are buried in that sandy soil and packed walls?

Map time; the third arrow, pointing east, is at 4.5 miles; there is a ranch on the eastern side with cliffs in the background.  Look for a wide cave opening which at first might just look like a bunch of broken rocks inside it...nope, using my zoom lens, I found a dwelling there.  Across from the area is a beautiful open area leading to hills, but wait; look behind you at the buttes you passed by and probably didn't even notice.

2.5 map miles to go and welcome to Three Kiva Pueblo; don't blink, you'll miss the turn off!  While there is a sign directly outside the Pueblo's wooden fence, there is nothing on the roadway to indicate its location; you either see it, or you drive by it.  Before going up the stone walkway and exploring, stop and look around, drink in all that beauty; stop and listen, the silence is deafening.



Three Kiva Pueblo

Three Kiva Pueblo is maintained by the BLM; they have available a simple informational pamphlet at their field offices, or at welcome centers.  This is a well preserved Puebloan settlement, hence the care given to it as opposed to the Browns Canyon Ruins. A map to better help you get the lay of the rooms.

Kive #3 is located in the front of the pueblo, Kiva #2 is to the right; both have not been excavated.  As you continue up the walkway on the left side, the "rooms" ahead are the "bins" labeled on the map.  A short climb upwards past them will bring you to solid dirt and Kiva #1.

Kiva #1 is very well preserved and an impressive structure; it is, though, completely abandoned.  What do I mean by that?  I have visited many Kivas and felt...something; even my photos have given credence of this feeling with the visitation of an "orb".   Not so for Three Kiva; while the sun's rays give it brilliant light, no one is home.

Next stop, lower level; be careful climbing down as it is very dark until you set foot on the dirt and allow your eyes to acclimate.












My photos do not give the interior of the Kiva full justice; the workmanship is incredible, even the interlacing of the wooden beams of the roof.  Unless you actually climb down into it, you will not get the full scope of it all.




Niche behind lower right of ladder




Bench Hole, Reflector, Firepit
 

Foot Drum, Firepit





 

 

Outside, walk around the back area for the living and/or storage rooms; you'll also see the opening for the ventilation shaft.                

Ventilation Shaft, Roofing Visible beyond.

 

  

  

 

Going up around the other side, you will be walking over where Kiva #2 is buried and pass by, possibly, more storage bins.

 

 

Now, if you only read the pamphlet or most guidebook material of this area, this would be your final destination on Montezuma Canyon Road - CR 146.  You would more than likely turn around and go back the way you came...no, wrong, don't do that!  CR 146 goes all the way through to Route 191 and comes out only 5 miles from the Monticello Welcome Center.  What I have written about so far: Browns Canyon Ruins, Perkins Road - CR 206, both sites of Rock Art on CR-146 and Three Kiva Ruins is just one option, that being coming up north on Route 191 and beginning in the Blanding area.

 

My next write ups (there will be two) will be of beginning at the Monticello Welcome Center, traveling south for those five miles and starting a most wonderful adventure down Montezuma Canyon Road.  Again, beautiful landscape full of homesteads, houses built within sandstone hills, wineries, cave and cliff ruins, more rock art...you would miss it all if you didn't stay on this marvelous road.  Stay tuned folks, this was only the appetizer sampler...

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Monument Valley Tour - Part Two

When I left you at the end of part one we were traveling into Central Monument Valley.  One fact you will discover in the Valley is that people live there; you'll see homes and plenty of "Private Road, No Trespassing" signs.  Many of the Navajo live in homes built in the design of their ancestral home, The Hogan.  The female Hogan has nine support poles to represent the nine months it takes for a woman to carry a child; the male Hogan has four support poles to represent the four points on the compass.  The female Hogan has a rounded dome roof shape, while the male Hogan is more conical shaped, similar to a Teepee.  Next to the Hogan is a small conical shaped building and this is the Sweat Lodge, used for ceremonies and meditation.





After John Ford's Point, the guide took us on several looping routes; at first we passed by Rain God Mesa and Thunderbird Mesa; The Hub is across from Thunderbird Mesa and looks like a Mayan temple.



The Hub

Hush now and don't make a sound, or wake the Sleeping Dragon and consider yourself lunch.  Remember, you are crunchy and good with ketchup when it comes to dragon food.



Looping around the Sleeping Dragon, the guided tour will bring you to an area with a large sand dune that you can climb up to an arch, the Ear of the Wind.  There is also a climb you can make up to a dead cottonwood tree that gives a full view of the area.

Ear of the Wind



Looping, we did a lot of looping, behind the Sleeping Dragon brought us past Chief Hoskaninni.  Since this was only a three hour tour, the guide could not stop at every formation, so I ended up taking many photos on the fly.  While I could not get a really good shot of the Totem Pole in the distance, we paused long enough for a better shot of The Bird and Hand of the God just a little way past.

Totem Pole

The Bird, Hand of the God



 

 

 

 

Big Hogan

Eye of the Sun

Now here comes the really tricky part, trying to get photos of the arches in the next area.  We did stop at the Big Hogan, but raced past Eye of the Sun and Moccasin Arch; luckily we had to stop to wait for another tour vehicle to go by, so I was able to get some what decent shots of those two.

Moccasin Arch

 

 

 

The three hour tour was coming to an end and we needed to get back to Goulding's Lodge to have lunch at the Stagecoach Dining Room (good food too, so try it out).  Racing around the small "lake" that had formed due to the torrential rain the night before, we stopped to glance at petroglyphs on the rock face.

 

 

Blurry as this next photo is, I consider myself very lucky I got this shot of Donut Arch; the guide definitely had the pedal to the metal.

 

 

We did once last loop before getting to the main thoroughfare and I was able to capture The Thumb and Cly Butte.

The Thumb

Now remember, part one and two of this story I've told is only about a typical three hour tour; imagine what you'll see on the all day tours - more wonderous formations, arches, petroglyphs and ancient ruin sites!

 

 

I've also mentioned that Monument Valley is dramatic no matter what time of day you go, or what the weather is.  Here are a few random shots I took at sunset, with a storm approaching:

 

 

 

                                                              ...and this is what it is like to be in Monument Valley on a very dark and stormy September night, with the lightning coming down around you.

Dramatic, right!?!

 

 

Well folks, that is the end of the two part tour of the Monument Valley tour I was so very lucky to be on.  Afterwards, I was sore and bone tired, but I would not have missed this for the world!  I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.

 

Mary Cokenour