Long Weekend in Chaco Canyon

IntrepidXJ

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Friday, June 10, 2011

Amanda found out pretty last minute that she was going to have a three day weekend from work and she wanted to go somewhere new. I gave her a couple of suggestions for places I wanted to get to this year that we had not been to yet, and she agreed that we should head down to Chaco Culture National Historic Park (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) for the weekend. I quickly secured that Friday off from work and our weekend plans were made!

Bright and early on Friday morning we finished loading up the Jeep and headed south. As we drove through the San Juan Moutains over Red Mountain Pass, we got to see how much snow was still up there. It didn’t look like any of our favorite Jeep roads would be opening anytime soon. Between Silverton and Durango they were chip-sealing the road and a vehicle in front of me picked up a rock and cracked the windshield on my Jeep. It started to spread right away and was beyond repairing before we even reached New Mexico. A nice way to start the trip….but just the beginning!

Shortly after crossing the state line into New Mexico we made a stop at Aztec Ruins National Monument. This was just a quick stop for us since it was on the way to Chaco. We walked the short path around the Monument, snapped a couple of pictures, grabbed some lunch in town and then were back on the road to Chaco. The most interesting part of Aztec Ruins was The West Ruin Great Kiva, which Earl Morris excavated in 1921 and then rebuilt in 1934. It’s the largest rebuilt kiva in North America.


Aztec Kiva by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view inside The Great Kiva.


Aztec Kiva Ceiling by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The reconstructed ceiling of The Great Kiva.

After driving the very washboarded road to Chaco, we found an open campsite in the Gallo Campground and got ready to setup our camp for the next two nights. When I stepped out of my Jeep, I saw that one of my back tires was almost flat and losing air quickly. I knew I needed new tires pretty soon, but I thought I could get by for a few more weeks…..apparently I was wrong. The tire was actually cracked between the almost non-existant lugs and was losing air from there. Before we setup camp, I had to change the tire to the spare. I knew that when I arrived back at home, I would be buying a new windshield and some new tires…..this was turning out to be an expensive weekend! ;)

Once camp was finally setup we stopped by the Visitor Center to speak to the ranger and get acquainted with the park. Before the day was through we had visited Una Vida, Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito. I also searched out some petroglyphs near our campsite and above Una Vida.


Little Guy by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A small pictograph at ground level near our campsite….hidden behind a small ruin.


Faint Boulder Glyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A boulder near our camp that had some petroglyphs on it.


Una Vida Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Closer to sunset I hiked up to the Una Vida petroglyphs to get some shots with the late evening sunlight on them.


Turkey Over Chaco by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A bird-like petroglyph that looks like a turkey watches over Chaco Canyon and Fajada Butte as the sun gets ready to drop below the horizon.


Steps & Doors by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A black & white doorway shot in Pueblo Bonito


Sun-Lit Walls by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view from inside Pueblo Bonito during sunset.


Supported Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The tallest wall at Pueblo Bonito still standing, with the supports to help keep it that way.


Bonito Last Glow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The sun lights up the top of Pueblo Bonito and the clouds above in Chaco Canyon.

After it was dark out, we headed back near the Visitor Center to check out the Night Sky Program where we listened to a talk from Ruth Van Dyke. Unfortunately, clouds had rolled in after sunset so there was not much to see in the sky. We headed back to camp early and went to bed since we would be getting an early start on Saturday.

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Saturday, June 11, 2011

On Saturday morning I got up a little earlier than Amanda and headed out to try and get a photo of Fajada Butte at sunrise (since they don’t open the gates to the main park until 7am). When I arrived there were some nice clouds behind the butte, but they cleared out before the sun finally came up.


Fajada Butte by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Early morning sunlight on Fajada Butte.

Once the sun was up, I made my way back to camp and found that Amanda was awake and ready to go. We had a little breakfast and then went into the park just after 7am. We wanted to get an early start since we were going to hike the longest backcountry trail in the park to Penasco Blanco….and we wanted to do it before it got really hot out. Along the way we took the Petroglyph Loop trail and searched the sandstone walls for petroglyphs. We ended up finding quite a few.


Sheep Designs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A well defined sheep petroglyph overlooks some faded designs that are rather unique. I see the heads of two sheep below the designs facing each other, too.


Sheep & Pictograph by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A bighorn sheep petroglyph with some more recent scratchings. Above the sheep is a faint pictograph that might represent a rain cloud?


Spiral Serpent by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A spiral with a head…plus some more recent scratchings.


Curly Tail Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This one was located high above and hidden. I would have missed it if Amanda hadn’t spotted it!


Chaco High Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

My favorite petroglyphs along the loop…also located high above us.


Lizard Men Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The last panel along the loop trail.

After finishing the loop, we continued on and eventually crossed Chaco Wash. Once on the other side we reached my main destination for hiking this trail; The Supernova Pictograph.


1054 Supernova Pictograph by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Some believe that this pictograph in Chaco Canyon represents the supernova that created the Crab Nebula on July 4, 1054.


Shield & Claws? by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After passing the Supernova Pictographs there’s another .8 miles until you reach Penasco Blanco. Along the way we passed a large boulder that had this large shield-like petroglyphs on it. Maybe it is more recent as I’ve not seen anything like it before, but I don’t know? I do know I saw some similar claw-like hand petroglyphs near the campground, too…
 

Penasco Blanco by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Finally we reached what’s left of Penasco Blanco. I don’t believe this site has been excavated. Amanda found some shade to sit and rest in, while I walked around the site and explored. There were actually a lot of potsherds here, which I had noticed were absent from the excavated sites that are easier for people to get to.

The hike back was a bit hotter, but we were pretty lucky and there was a nice breeze the whole time to help keep us cool. We even found a little shade on the way back and sat down for a while to rest in the breeze…..it was pretty nice.

Once back, we went back to camp for some lunch and to relax some more until evening. Once we were rested up I went back to the petroglyphs between Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito for some photos.


Snake Man and Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Snakes and Spirals by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Richard Wetherill by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Even though it was mid-day and the light was pretty harsh, I just had to get a photo of Richard Wetherill’s grave while I was nearby.


Hand Holding Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This panel was located high above Richard Wetherill’s grave. It’s hard to see, but there’s quite a few figures in this one with a large hand petroglyph and a number of figures holding hands.


Pueblo del Arroyo by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Next we explored Pueblo del Arroyo


Pueblo Bonito Overlook by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

For sunset I decided to head up to the Pueblo Bonito Overlook. The trail leading up there was pretty cool, and there was a lot to see along the way. Next time I’m at Chaco, I will need to complete the loop to Pueblo Alto while I am up there.

On my way down I stopped for a few last photos at Kin Kletso.


Moon Over Kin Kletso by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


View Through Kin Kletso by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Polarized Circle by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A sun circle caused by my polarizer….and I liked the colors in this photo.

From there it was back to camp and right to bed….it was a long but fun and interesting day!
 
Sunday, June 12, 2011

On Sunday morning I slept in just a bit later than on Saturday…..not because I wanted to, but because I was planning on photographing through the doorways of Pueblo Bonito during the early morning sunlight, and the park would not be opening the gates until 7am…..so there was no use for me to get up earlier than I had to. I arrived at the gate a few minutes before 7am in hopes that it would be opened early. It wasn’t. They actually didn’t come open it until 10 minutes after 7…..which means I was sitting in my Jeep anxiously waiting. Once the gate was opened, I went straight to Pueblo Bonito and started shooting…..I didn’t have much time before the sun would be too high.


Pueblo Bonito T by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Nice light through the big T-shaped doorway.


Typical Doors by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A typical doorway photo in Pueblo Bonito.

Once the sun was too high, we made our way over to check out the Casa Rinconada Community.


Casa Rinconada Kiva by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The large kiva at Casa Rinconada.


Gallo Camp by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When we were done exploring there, we went back to camp to pack up. Here’s a photo of the ruin behind our campsite.

Once we were all packed up and ready to go we stopped to take one last hike to Wijiji before starting the drive home.


Wijiji Hike by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hiking along the old closed road to Wijiji….Fajada Butte in the background.


Wijiji Pueblo by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Wijiji Pictographs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Faint pictographs near Wijiji. There are a number of faint negative handprints, faint spirals and red lines, plus a couple of zoomorphs that appear to be standing in the middle. I wish I had brought my telephoto lens with me on this hike, but I wasn’t sure how close we would be able to get to these pictographs when we started…


Wijiji Pictographs Closer by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look.


Wijiji by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A nice sky over Wijiji.


Follow the Old Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hiking back from Wijiji in Chaco Canyon.

Thankfully, the drive home was uneventful with no further issues with the Jeep. We both had a great weekend and lucked out with great weather that wasn’t too hot (especially for this time of the year) and are looking forward to our next trip to Chaco Canyon in the future!
 
The crows were pretty aggressive when we were there in '09. Don't leave anything out or they'll get into it. Almost to the point where you needed to ziptie your tent closed if you put a cooler in it.
 
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