Bernalillo, NM (Hubbell, Chaco)

Hubbell Trading Post

The highway to Chaco Canyon goes past the Hubbell Trading Post.  We stopped in to see this historic site and browse the well supplied old Trading Post.  From the NP guides we asked information on the roads to Chaco. It was determined that because we are driving an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) we could take the south road.

 The farm sheds and corrals

The Trading Post

Dirt road to Chaco Canyon

Bev drove for six hours today and the last 22 miles (35 kms) was on extremely rough dirt road. At the top of each rolling hill the road becomes a rock obstacle path, it was tough driving.

Be aware that once you enter the park from the south the signage is BAD. Below is the NP Entrance building, looking at it from where the road T's (there is a confusing sign that announces Staff Parking).

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

 Hungo Pavi - constructing with local rocks the pueblo ruins blend with the canyon

The walls are thick

Pueblo Bonito - kiva

Pueblo Bonito is thought to have had five levels

There are many kiva ruins at Chaco

I drove to Bernalillo, NM leaving by the north road which we knew to be dirt surface but supposedly better than the south road.  A sedan could travel on this road but heck, it was miles and miles of corrugation. We bounced and jiggled all the way till we hit the blacktop (tar, or bitumen for the Aussies). Bernalillo was the first place with accommodation that we would stay in, about 150 miles (240 kms) from Chaco. We are tired but happy that we made the effort to visit Chaco which is the best preserved Pueblo ruins in the USA.  The Navajo know the Pueblo people as the Anasazi, the ancient people.

Tumbleweed is tough, prickly and thumps when it hits a car

We got lost twice but more on that when next I return to the Blog.

Chinle, Navajoland (Canyon de Chelly)

It was a bright blue sky with the promise of a beautiful day and that is exactly what we had today.  Our Native guide for the journey was Colleen who had grown up in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced SHAY) and along the way she stopped beside her family property while explaining Canyon family history. Colleen spoke with uncles, aunts, and cousins when at the stops allowing us to feel 'at home'. We met her uncle, Travis Terry, who plays the Native flute. Bev asked if he would give permission for a photograph, he not only allowed it but he went by the river, with a cliff house behind him, and played flute, it was a special moment. I bought Travis' CD's on our return to Chinle and gave Bev a set to complete her birthday gift.

 SCENES FROM THE VALLEY, CANYON DE CHELLY

Travis Terry plays Native Flute

We were in the canyon for four hours and bounced over sandy paths and splashed through the river seeing ancient cliff houses, pictographs and petroglyphs.  Colleen stopped at one point and gave us the family history of Canyon de Chelly, she told us the Navajo history and what the Spanish, and also Kit Carson, did to the pueblo people when they first entered the canyon.  There are apparently ~2,000 cliff dwellings in the canyon most in areas that the tours do not go.

We saw The White House Ruins up close and that was a special view.  I had seen it three times from the rim but nothing beats seeing The White House Ruins from the canyon floor.

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Pictographs are painted on the canyon walls.
Petroglyphs are scratched into the rock.

Kokopelli is playing for rain, that is why he is on his back. The direction of the snake is the direction of the rain. There are positive and negative hand prints, and a stick figure frog.

Two horsemen chasing a deer into an enclosed canyon so they can kill it, without damaging the pelt. 

A Spanish soldier riding his horse.

The circle motif is a petroglyph.

Cliff dwelling

The horses roam free

The White House Ruins

Antelope House

The cat

SCENES FROM THE SOUTH RIM, CANYON DE CHELLY

The spiritual Spider Rock

 The White House Ruins to the naked eye.

The White House Ruins using zoom lense.

Bev and I were very happy to have taken the 4x4 tour through the valley as Canyon de Chelly is such a special place.  A magical day!

Cortez, Colorado (Mesa Verde)

I have found my BlackBerry.  Yay!

Our days are busy.  Each morning we visit the park that we drove to the afternoon before.  We do not rush our way through the park we are visiting but see all that we can.  Then we have the drive to the next park we have selected to visit.  The drive is usually between three to five hours.

Today, after a day at Mesa Verde viewing and visiting some of the magnificent cliff dwellings we had a three hour drive to Canyon de Chelly.

Last night Bev and I could not sleep and we both had disturbing dreams.  Today we asked our new Navajo friends, Edward and Karen, if there were problems in Cortez.  They confirmed a problem and said that many people have had heart attacks at our hotel.  Karen said, "that hotel needs the Medicine Man but they refused to have him visit".  Very different vibes tonight in Canyon de Chelly.  To be sure though, I have given our room some help by using Reiki.  We think there may even be more to the story .....

Continued next evening.

Mesa Verde

Spruce Tree House

Bev going into the kiva at Spruce Tree House

Cliff Palace

Pithouse - A.D. 600

Square Tower House - A.D. 1200-1300

Sun Point View A.D. 1200-1300

The four cliff dwellings above can be seen from Sun Point View as can the Sun Temple A.D. 1250 below.

 The unfinished Sun Temple from Sun Point View

A kiva at The Sun Temple.

Kayenta, Navajoland (Monument Valley)

You have quite possibly seen Monument Valley or similiar (Badlands) in a Hollywood movie.  With its breathtaking views Monument Valley leaves one speechless and in awe. We have many photographs and will let them do their job.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Navajoland

MV Welcome sign photographs: Bev

Mitchell Butte

West Mitten

East Mitten

Three Sisters

Not a third of the way around the park and the car is looking different, not a city car now.  Good ol' dirt road driving, for me it felt like being back in Australia. 

The standing stone on the left is my stone that I added to the cairn.  Bev also added a stone and I now have my stone for the next camino.

The Cairn

The Cube

Artist's Point

The Window

We had a nice meal at the MV restaurant and had beautiful views of the buttes and mesas from our table.  A little bit of Native jewelry shopping was in order before driving to Cortez, Colorado, to visit Mesa Verde National Park tomorrow.  

We  stopped at 4 Corners along the way.  This is where four states meet - Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

The four states

The traditional pose at 4 Corners is down on all fours - a hand and a foot in each state, everybody in this position looks dorky!  Here we are standing on the marker and pointing to the states, if you think we look dorky then that is okay. :)