Click on any picture for a larger view
We were enchanted with our visit to Chaco Canyon last year,
Nicida and I decided to make another trip catching at least some of the sites
we did not see. Most of the campsites
are reservable, I highly suggest you make reservations. Each afternoon/evening we saw several campers
arrive at the Gallo campground to a ‘Campground full’ sign greeting them. Kind of tough considering it’s a 15+ mile
drive on gravel roads enroute to the Chaco site.
Last year’s Chaco Canyon trip was also my first time camping
in my Hallmark truck camper. I am happy
to say I have enjoyed all my trips; it has allowed me to stay at places
experiencing evening sunsets, the quiet and darkness of the sky at dark sky
locations then waking the next morning to the sounds of wildlife. I have used it over 31 nights since last
July. See my Expanding horizons, July 3, 2017.
All was going well; we remembered the food, pinned the
refrigerator closed, picked up burritos from the Burrito Lady. It was good up until I opened the outside box
for blocks to level the truck and discovered I did not pack the steps to get
into the camper, a minimum 3’ step from the ground. I uttered a large sigh and shook my
head. I walked by them several times as
I was packing the camper, but…. Nicida
was very gracious saying “no problem”. We
worked through it; our routine was for me to make the large step up and in then
help pull her up and in. She is not as
tall as me so it is more of an effort for her to make the huge step.
The steps will be the first thing packed on future
endeavors.
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| carved steps |
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| logs for flooring |
We pulled out all the wood and camp chairs in preparation of
our traditional evening campfire before heading to the visitor center. After having our National Parks Passports stamped
and purchasing a Chaco Canyon post card we headed out to the park. We stopped at Hungo Pavi, one of the sites we
missed last year. Each time I have come
to this place I am astounded at the architecture. I do not have any hope of my house still standing
after 800 – 900 years after construction followed by a long period of
abandonment. Logs inlaid in the walls served as floors for the multi-level structures. We could also see a
series of steps carved into a nearby cliff wall.
Another visitor informed us that the ancient visitors had to travel straight paths to their destinations, hence the carved steps. Driving through the park was saw several
locations where steps were carved into the cliff walls.
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| Pueblo Bonito |
Continuing to the end
of the road for a short hike to Kin Kletso; we find the trailhead to the top of
the mesa for the overarching views of the valley and other sites. I opened the camper to pull out our packs
only to find the container of eggs, not hard boiled either, lying on the
floor. Yours truly forgot to lock the
refrigerator as we left the campground.
Fortunately the container held all the egg remains so I promptly put the
container in the refrigerator for us to deal with later. Then - I locked the refrigerator. We hiked on to the ‘new’ Pueblo Alto site
enjoying the views of the valleys around us.
After we returned from our mid day hike I noticed the
campground was very quiet even though it was full. I also noticed the absence of campfire smoke. I thought since it is still early and
comfortable outside nobody was hanging around for a fire; they are seeing the
sites. Later, we found out there was a
total campfire ban. The rain that had
appeared the day before was not enough to notice. Plan ‘B’ S’mores by gas stove, not as much
fun but still quite tasty.
Prior to sunset we scampered up the trail at the entrance to
the campground to the top of the mesa for a view of Fajada Butte and the valley
below. The colors of the sunset warmed
the valley followed by pink and purple clouds as the sun disappeared behind the
horizon. A few hours after sunset the
stars were out in full force, it was hard to recognize some of the familiar constellations
because of all the extra stars normally swallowed up by the lights of the big
city. |
| Fajada Butte |
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| 1054 Supernova pictograph |
The next day we ate arepas with the pre-scrambled, rescued
eggs, cheese and avocado before our 7+ mile round trip hike to Penasco
Blanco. It is mostly flat following
along the valley floor. There are
several smaller sites to visit along with petroglyphs and pictographs along the
way. It is believed the pictograph
records when a supernova occurred in 1054 AD.
Other pictographs show the position and phase of the moon when the event
occurred. Once past that area a climb of
several hundred feet takes us to the large site of Pensaco Blanco. The view of the valley along with the Blanco
site is worth the hike.
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| paintbrush |
All along the trail spring flowers were in bloom. Some I recognized, others I had to photograph
and pull out my NM flower book for identification.
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| zinnias |
Our 7 mile hike was not enough for us so we decided to visit
another site just above the visitor center – Una Vida. The views from this site of the Fajada Butte
are fantastic. Somehow I don’t believe
the people that were living here at the time could really take the time to admire
the view – too busy working. Up the side
of the cliff is another set of petroglyphs.
Saturday morning we packed up making our way to the Bisti
badlands. But that’s the next post. Stay tuned.
It was a good camping trip.
Thank you for stopping by,
Mark
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