Wuptaki National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona was another incredible and unexpected find along out travel route. And, bonus, we were able to use K2’s National Parks Every Kid Outdoors pass again to enter the park.
Wuptaki (wuh-POT-kee) is the site of ancestral Puebloan village and trade center. This history of the one large preserved pueblo is really fascinating. It’s estimated that clans gathered at the 100 room pueblo as early as the 1100s. It had a tower, community room and ceremonial ballcourt. By 1900, as many as 2,000 people lived within a day’s walk and Wuptaki was the largess building for at least 50 miles.
Shout out to the park rangers at Wuptaki who were super helpful and friendly. They gave the kids the Junior Ranger packet, which the kids completed as we walked through the historic site. It’s a nice way for them to better understand the park and the things they’re seeing.
Junior Rangers taking their work very seriously.
The Ranger’s also recommended that we walk out to The Blowhole. Curious about what a blowhole in the desert could be, we walked down to check it out. Turns out The Blowhole was pretty cool! It’s a crevice in the earth’s crust that appears to be breathing. There are several in the Wuptaki area. When we were there it was breathing in, sucking the air like a central vacuum. When the outside air pressure is lower than the crack system, air is blown out.
Today, the Hopi descendants of these early people refer to the blowhole as the breath of “Yaaponsta,” the wind spirit. They and other American Indians attach spiritual significance to these features. – National Park placard
There are more photos in our Facebook album.
