Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon

Having read the Shunpiker report on driving the road to Chaco Cultural Center Anne and I decided not to tow our trailers there and just dat trip from Angel Peak. IMHO it was a good decision – we spared ourselves the experience of seeing how many cabinets would open and how much stuff would come tumbling out when you drive over many miles of dirt roads. Anne did a commendable drive of navigating her car through sections of “didps”, unevn drop offs, sections of washboard and even something we called riding the rails. It seems like railroad track of hard pack mud. I don’t think she enjoyed it as much as I did. I fond of opening my mouth and slacking my jaw and letting it reverb while I sound ahhhh when the car goes over washboard roads. Though I find it amusing , with hindsight I think it is  something I should save for doing in private.

Don’t let the drive put you off – It is definitely worth the trip. My pictures don’t do it justice. There are many sets of “great house” ruins and kivas dating from about 700 – 1100 CE.  The artifacts found there (bird bones from Mexico, shells from the pacific, turquoise and other gems).  lead scholars to believe it was once a great trading center. Whether it was a ritual center, a living center or what is still a source of speculation. As is what happened to the people who once lived here. The people who built these structures experimented with a variety of techniques and their later forms were used by those in other well known sites such as Mesa Verde.

At the end of the day, with trails unhiked and ruins unseen we agreed that we would happily have spent a few days here but we were glad we did not tow the trailers in.