The Aztec ruins

It was time to leave the reservation and head north to Aztec, NM. I googled some campgrounds close to the ruins and came across Ruins Rd. Rv park. They offer full hookup for $25 plus tax per night.
They don't have a bath house or a laundry facility, but they are literally within walking distance to the Aztec ruins.
We only stayed one night, rested that afternoon after driving thru New Mexico, bought groceries and relaxed for the evening.
The next morning we took advantage of the free WiFi, Landon did his school work and I downloaded more songs for our upcoming Vlog.
By noon we were in the National park where Landon became a Junior Ranger and took an oath to protect and preserve all National parks. He earned his first badge!
We bought him a passport and a Ranger hat to keep collecting the badges and stamps.
It is a great way of keeping track of the parks you visit and it keeps you motivated to collect more. Tony bought his first medallion for his future walking stick.
Did you know that we have 418 National parks in the United States ?
That's a lot of badges... we might have to buy a vest for Landon too.
W e started our tour by watching a short film about the Journey of the Hopis , which describes better what we are about to tour. The tribe built several kivas for ceremonies. They lined up the windows just right in the great kiva to allow the light to illuminate all the way to the altar. The North Wall that protects the Pueblo is aligned perfectly with the celestial setup of the summer solstice.
The Hopis were on a journey and followed their calling. They settled for a while in Aztec to build their empire, yet suddenly they vanished, after all that hard work.
Men would walk as far as 50 miles to return with timber to build their kiva and rooms.
Rocks had to be carried from all around the building site and carefully shaped into rectangles that would serve as walls. All the construction was difficult and time consuming. Why leave?
Natives believe that their calling was, to find a new way of life somewhere else.
Today, tribes keep their traditions and pass it down to the next generation.
We marveled at some necklaces by a local artist. We were told, that all the pieces were created from seeds or kernels.
A lot of time and patience goes into each necklace. First, the watermelon needs to get de-seeded, the seeds washed then dried.
A natural dye will transform the watermelon seeds into colorful beads, which then have to get stung piece by piece, carefully poking a tiny hole into the watermelon seed without breaking it. One necklace requires hundreds of seeds. Simply stunning!