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Ghost Berries in the Canyon of the Ancients

Found a sweet little spot above the Lowery Pueblo in the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument on BLM land and decided to lay over for a rest day. The hammocks went up, we hiked the rim of the canyon, and ghost berries were processed! Someone made a fort!

These little cacti were everywhere and stuck to clothes and shoes. Darrin accidentally sat on one😖
Juniper or Ghost berry pits/seeds are used to create jewelry. We were told they are collected in the spring after the squirrels have eaten the berry flesh. We decided not to wait for spring and the squirrels and opened a few up.
Nice and cozy. We are still on the border of cold weather.
We have got to stop finding cool places and get south!
Our own canyon rim view 25 ft from our camping spot.
With a gorgeous sunset!!
Lowry Pueblo was a small ruin built on the top of the mesa instead of in a canyon. Like the other ruins in the area, it was abandoned around 1300.
Remains of a large kiva which would have been used for community activities and important ceremonies. The stone platforms inside are thought to represent summer people and winter people and contained holes for four wooden beams which supported the ceiling..
A long reach down inside the kiva to show the amazing stone work.
From a sign at Lowry Pueblo.